§ 117-463. General restrictions.

(a)

Address sign. One address sign shall be required per main building in all districts.

(b)

Bench sign. Bench signs shall be permitted only at bus stops.

(c)

Ground sign. A ground sign shall not project higher than 25 feet as measured from base of sign or grade of the nearest adjacent roadway, whichever is lower. Any ground sign within 50 feet of any intersection of street right-of-way lines and/or driveway entrances shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 12 feet above the centerline of the pavement unless it can be shown that it can comply with subsections (e)(2)a and b of this section.

(d)

Canopies or marquees. Canopies and marquees shall be considered to be an integral part of the structure to which they are an accessory. Signs may be attached to a canopy or marquee, but such structures shall not be considered as part of the wall area and thus shall not warrant additional sign area.

(e)

Location.

(1)

No sign other than governmental signs shall be erected or temporarily placed within any street or public right-of-way or upon any public easement.

(2)

A permit for a sign to be located within 50 feet of any street or highway regulatory or warning sign, or any traffic sign or signal, or of any crossroad or crosswalk, will not be issued unless:

a.

The sign will not interfere with the ability of drivers and pedestrians to see any street or highway sign, or any traffic sign or signal, or any crossroad or crosswalk; and

b.

The sign will not distract drivers nor offer any confusion to any street or highway, sign, or any traffic sign or signal.

(3)

A sign shall not be located so as to extend over any lot line or within 15 feet of any point of vehicular access from a parcel to a public roadway.

(f)

Dynamic display and illumination.

(1)

Based on findings conducted by scientific studies, the city finds that dynamic displays should be allowed on signs with appropriate regulation in order to minimize their proliferation and their potential threats to public safety.

(2)

Regulations. Dynamic displays on signs are subject to the following conditions:

a.

Size. On-premise signs may include dynamic displays. Dynamic display signs shall not exceed the size allowed by this chapter. Dynamic displays are not in addition to the size allowed for static signs.

b.

Frequency of display change. A dynamic display may not change more often than once every three seconds, and no part of the display may include flashing or scrolling text. The images display must be static, and the transition from one display to another must be instantaneous without special effects. The dynamic display shall not be allowed to project full-motion video. Subtle transition animations shall be allowed.

c.

Brightness. No sign may be brighter than is necessary for clear and adequate visibility, or that it interferes with the effectiveness of a traffic sign or signal, or that it distracts a driver from motor vehicle operation.

d.

Troubleshooting. Dynamic displays must be designed and equipped to freeze the device in one position if a malfunction occurs. The display must also be equipped with a means to immediately discontinue the display if it malfunctions, and the sign owner must immediately stop the dynamic display when notified by the city that it is not complying with the standards of this section.

(g)

Institutional and recreational identification sign. One wall and/or ground sign shall be permitted to identify the civic, philanthropic, educational, public or religious organization or recreational use occupying the parcel. There shall not be more than one ground sign for each parcel. The gross surface area of a ground sign shall not exceed 100 square feet for each exposed face nor exceed an aggregate gross surface area of 200 square feet. Such facilities having more than one point of entrance or street frontage may erect secondary identification signs not to exceed 50 square feet for each exposed face at the additional entrance points or street frontages.

(h)

Institutional attraction boards. There shall not be more than one institutional attraction board for each principal building and it may be either wall or ground type or constructed as a part of the institutional identification sign. The gross surface area of an attraction board shall not exceed 50 square feet for each exposed face nor exceed an aggregate gross surface area of 100 square feet. An attraction board shall not be located so as to extend over any lot line or within 15 feet of any point of vehicular access from any parcel to a public roadway. Attraction boards shall not exceed 15 feet in height as measured from the base of the sign or building to which the sign is to be affixed or the grade of the nearest adjacent roadway, whichever is higher.

(i)

Pennants. The use of pennants is permitted in any commercial district provided the pennants are securely anchored and maintained in good repair, including replacement or removal when weather damage is evident. The zoning administrator, or his designee, shall have the authority to identify and notify property owners and/or occupants of the parcel on which the pennants have been determined to be in violation of this Code. Failure to remove or replace the pennants within ten days of notification shall be sufficient cause for the zoning administrator or his designee to remove said pennants. The property owner shall be billed for all costs incurred by the city in administering this subdivision.

(j)

Banners. The use of banners is permitted in any commercial district as permanent wall signage provided the banner is securely anchored and maintained in good repair, including replacement or removal when weather damage is evident. The square footage dedicated to banners is limited to 50 percent of the total square footage allowance for wall signs. Facilities choosing to utilize wall banners in addition to other permanent wall signage shall be required to obtain a separate sign permit for the maximum square footage allowed for banners and payment of the permanent sign fee.

(k)

Flags. The display of flags shall be permitted in all districts. However, the total square footage area of any flags used as advertising copy or as attention getting devices for commercial purposes shall be considered as permanent signage and counted towards the total allowable sign area permitted by this section for the parcel on which the flag is displayed. Flag height is restricted to 25 feet.

(l)

Directional signs. Directional or instructional signs are restricted to on-site direction and instruction, with the exception of governmental signs, temporary real estate signs and public event signs, and shall not exceed four square feet in size. Such signs shall only provide direction or instruction to guide persons to facilities intended to serve the public.

(m)

Maintenance.

(1)

The surface and structure of all signs must be kept refinished as necessary to prevent the sign surface from becoming unkempt in appearance. The zoning administrator shall use the following guidelines to determine if the sign is unkempt: evidence of rust, peeling paint, structural damage, message damage, and/or weathering.

(2)

When any sign for which a permit is required is removed, the zoning administrator shall be notified and the entire sign and its components shall be removed.

(3)

The permit owner shall be responsible for all of the requirements of this section, including the liability for expense of removal and maintenance incurred by the city.

(n)

Sign content. No sign shall contain obscene images or statements in violation of Minn. Stats. § 617.241.

(Code 1978, § 9.12.03; Ord. No. 94-02, 2-28-1994; Ord. No. 03-31, 9-15-2003; Ord. No. 08-07, § 2, 2-12-2008; Ord. No. 08-25, § 2, 8-12-2008; Ord. No. 12-20, § 1, 11-27-2012)