VILLAGE OF CARO ZONING ORDINANCE
1. The following conditions shall apply to all signs erected or located in any use district:
a. All signs shall conform to all applicable codes and ordinances of the Village and, where required, shall be approved by the Zoning Administrator, and a permit issued.
b. No sign except those established and maintained by the Village, County, State, or Federal governments, shall be located in, project into, or overhang a public right-of–way or dedicated public easement, except in the B–1 District, in which case the sign shall not extend more than one foot into the right–of–way.
c. No sign otherwise permitted shall project above or beyond the maximum height limitation of the use district in which located.
d. All directional signs required for the purpose of orientation, when established by the Village, County, State, or Federal government shall be permitted in all use districts.
f. Off–Premise signs shall be permitted only in I–1 and I–2 Industrial Districts; except that Off–Premise signs pertaining to real estate development located within the Village and designed to promote the sale of lots or homes within a subdivision located within the Village may be permitted on a temporary basis in any use district, but shall not be located upon subdivided land unless such land is part of the subdivision being advertised for sale and shall be subject to the requirements and conditions of all applicable codes and ordinances of the Village, approved by the Zoning Administrator and a temporary permit issued. Non–premise signs located along M–81 or M–24 shall be regulated under Highway Advertising Act of 1972.
1. Signs shall not be put on trees or utility poles.
2. Signs shall not be in the public right of way.
3. All signs must have a date and can not be posted for more than seventy-two (72) hours.
4. No signs shall be allowed that announce a sale outside the Village.
5. The maximum size of the sign cannot exceed 18" x 24".
g. Signs used for advertising land or buildings for rent, lease, and/or for sale shall be permitted when located on the land or building intended to be rented, leased and/or sold.
h. Freestanding accessory signs may be located in the required front yard except as otherwise provided herein.
i. Seasonal banners owned and maintained by the Village of Caro or governmental entities established by the Village of Caro and approved by the Village of Caro, shall be exempt from the provisions of this section, provided all banners shall comply with the following standards:
1. The banner shall be attached to a wall and shall not extend more than twenty (20) inches from the wall.
2. The bottom of the banner shall be located at least seven (7) feet from the ground.
3. The banner shall not exceed forty-eight (48) inches in length.
2. In addition to (1) above, the following requirements shall apply to signs in the various use districts as follows:
|
USE DISTRICT |
REQUIREMENTS |
|
R Districts (RA–1 through RC) |
For each dwelling unit, one (1) name plate not exceeding two (2) square feet in area, indicating name of occupant. |
|
R Districts (RA–1 through RC) |
For structures other than dwelling units, one (1) identification sign not exceeding eighteen (18) square feet in area. |
|
RC Districts |
For rental and/or management offices, one (1) identification sign not exceeding six (6) square feet in area.
In RC Districts, signs indicating the name of multiple housing projects shall be permitted provided that no such sign shall be located closer than one hundred (100) feet to any property line in any adjacent single–family district. |
|
OS–1 Districts |
For each office unit occupying a building, one (1) sign not exceeding six (6) square feet in area.
For each office building, one (1) wall sign and/or one (1) freestanding sign, not to exceed eighteen (18) square feet in area. |
|
OS–1, B–1, B–2, P–1, I–1 and I–2 Districts |
No sign shall project beyond or overhang the wall, or any permanent architectural feature, by more than one (1) foot, and shall not project above or beyond the highest point of the roof or parapet. Signs shall not cover more than 10% of the total wall area unless greater coverage is permitted by the ZBA. |
|
OS–1, B–1 Districts |
Freestanding signs shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet in area and shall not exceed twenty (20) feet in height. |
|
B–2,I–1 Districts |
Freestanding signs shall not exceed two hundred (200) square feet in area and shall not exceed thirty (30) feet in height. |
|
I–2 Districts |
Freestanding signs shall not exceed three hundred (300) square feet in area and shall not exceed forty (40) feet in height. |
|
OS–1,B–1 Districts |
Freestanding accessory signs or advertising pylons shall not be placed closer than one hundred (100) feet to any adjacent residential district. |
|
B–2, I–1 and I–2 Districts |
Freestanding accessory signs or advertising pylons shall not be placed closer than two hundred (200) feet to any adjacent residential district. |
|
I–1 and I–2 Districts |
Non–Premise signs shall be permitted but shall be spaced no closer than one thousand (1,000) feet between signs on the same side of the right–of–way. |
|
I–1 and I–2 Districts |
Freestanding, Non–accessory signs, are allowed but shall comply with all requirements of ARTICLE 17 — SCHEDULE OF REGULATIONS of this Ordinance. |
3. Sandwich board signs in the B-1 district
a. Each face of a sandwich board shall not exceed three (3) feet in height or two (2) feet in width.
b. The bottom shall be weighted or anchored so that the sign is stable and wind-proof.
c. There shall be only one sign at each customer entrance, regardless of the number of tenants on the premises.
d. Each sign shall be placed outside only during the hours when business is open to the general public, and shall otherwise be stored inside.
e. Each sign shall be placed next to the building wall or adjacent to the curb in a manner which is safe for and does not interfere with normal pedestrian or automobile traffic movement.
f. Sandwich board signs shall not have more than two (2) sign faces.
g. All signs shall comply with the design specifications for sandwich board signs adopted by the Village of Caro.
h. Signs shall not project more than three (3) feet from the building.
Temporary banner signs may be allowed in OS-1, B-1, B-2, I-1, I-2, P-2 Zoned Districts by permit only.
A temporary banner sign may be erected after a permit is obtained for a period of time not to exceed three (3) weeks. The permit cannot be renewed. No more than two (2) permits per twelve (12) month period shall be issued for any one zoned lot. No permit shall be issued in an R Zone.
A temporary banner sign shall have a maximum height with the top of the temporary banner sign not to exceed thirty (30) feet above the grade level of the normal grade level of the ground. The bottom of the temporary banner sign shall be a minimum of ten (10) feet above the normal grade level of the ground unless the temporary banner sign is located above a traffic area in which case the bottom of the temporary banner sign shall be a minimum of eighteen (18) feet above the highest point of the traffic area.
A temporary banner sign can not interfere with traffic and must conform to all ordinances and rules, and can not resemble or simulate traffic control devices or signs, and can not trespass on another's property. A temporary banner sign can not be placed so as to obscure another business or structure.
Maximum size of a temporary banner sign shall be 400 square feet.
The temporary banner sign shall be designed and constructed and properly mounted so it will be stable.
A. Sign Permits
1. No temporary banner sign shall be placed without first securing a permit from the zoning administrator and payment of the permit fee. Applications for a permit shall be on a form provided by the zoning administrator and shall contain the following information:
a. Name, address and telephone of the applicant;
b. Owner of the sign, their name, address and telephone number;
c. Name of the organization, organization Federal ID number, name of person representing the organization, their address, and telephone number;
d. Location and zone classification where the temporary banner sign will be located; and
e. Position of the sign in relation to nearby buildings, structures, property lines, right of ways and any other information deemed necessary by the zoning administrator.
2. Before such permit is issued, an inspection of the sign and proposed location shall take place and such information necessary shall be provided to the zoning administrator in order to ensure that the sign will be installed in a safe and workman like manner and complies with all provisions of this ordinance and all other Village and State laws, rules and regulations. The zoning administrator may require additional information and documentation as necessary to determine the safety of the temporary banner sign.
3. The permits shall be issued for three (3) weeks only. The permit can not be renewed. No more than three permits per year shall be issued for any one zoned lot. No permit shall be issued in an R Zone.
Temporary off-premise portable, illuminated signs are permitted in the OS-1, B-1, B-2, I-1, I-2 and P-2 districts by permit only and shall be subject to the following restrictions:
A. Signs which contain, include, or are illuminated by any flashing, intermittent, or moving light or lights are prohibited if such signs interfere with traffic safety. Reflective surfaces or devices on sign faces, and multiple-face signs with illumination are permitted, provided such signs do not interfere with traffic ordinances and rules, and do not resemble or simulate traffic control devices or signs, and the illumination does not trespass on another's property.
B. Electronic variable message signs giving public information such as, but not limited to, time, date, temperature, weather, or other similar information, and electric variable-message signs which function in the same manner as multiple-faced signs are permitted, provided such signs do not interfere with traffic ordinances and rules, and do not resemble or simulate traffic control devices or signs.
C. Signs must be effectively shielded to prevent light beams or rays from being directed toward any portion of the traveled ways, and must not be of such intensity or brilliance to cause glare or impair the vision of the driver of any motor vehicle or otherwise interfere with any driver's operation of a motor vehicle.
D. No sign shall be so illuminated or placed so that it interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures an official traffic sign, device or signal.
E. The sign must be portable, temporary, stable when placed in position, designed to be transported by trailer or with wheels, and can not be anchored or affixed to a structure, the ground or any solid object on a permanent basis. The sign shall be no larger than four feet wide by six feet high, including wheels and/or temporary support. The top shall be no higher than six feet from the normal grade of the ground.
F. The sign shall meet all applicable electric codes, state laws rules and regulations.
G. 4' X 8' illuminated signs are allowed by permit. Only two (2) permits will be issued per year for a maximum time limit of three (3) days in any residential district.
H. Sign Permits
1. No off-premise portable, illuminated signs shall be placed without first securing a permit from the zoning administrator and payment of the permit fee. Applications for a permit shall be on a form provided by the zoning administrator and shall contain the following information:
a. Name, address and telephone of the applicant;
b. Owner of the sign, their name, address and telephone number;
c. Name of the organization, organization Federal ID number, name of person representing the organization, their address, and telephone number;
d. Location and zone classification where the temporary sign will be located; and
e. Position of the sign in relation to nearby buildings, structures, property lines, right of ways and any other information deemed necessary by the zoning administer.
2. Before such permit is issued, an inspection of the sign and proposed location shall take place and such information necessary shall be provided to the zoning administrator in order to ensure that the sign will be set up in a safe, workman like manner, and complies with all provisions of this ordinance and all other Village and State laws, rules and regulations. The permits shall be issued for one week only. The permit can not be renewed. No more than three permits per 12 month period shall be issued for any one zoned lot. No permit shall be issued in an R Zone.