CHAPTER 1119 Signs — Chapter Overview

CHAPTER 1119 Signs

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2025-04 (current)
Sheffield Lake Overview
Codified Ordinances of Sheffield Lake, OH
CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF SHEFFIELD LAKE, OHIO
CERTIFICATION
ROSTER OF OFFICIALS
ADOPTING ORDINANCE NO. 116-84
COMPARATIVE SECTION TABLE
TABLES OF SPECIAL ORDINANCES OF SHEFFIELD LAKE
CHARTER
PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
PART THREE - TRAFFIC CODE
PART FIVE - GENERAL OFFENSES CODE
PART SEVEN - BUSINESS REGULATION CODE
PART NINE - STREETS, UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES CODE
PART ELEVEN - PLANNING AND ZONING CODE
CHAPTER 1101 Gemeral Provisions
CHAPTER 1103 Administration and Decision-Making Bodies
CHAPTER 1105 Review Procedures
CHAPTER 1107 Zoning Districts and Principal Use Regulations
CHAPTER 1109 Planned Residential Developments (PRD)
CHAPTER 1111 Accessory and Temporary Use Regulations
CHAPTER 1113 General Development Standards
CHAPTER 1115 Landscaping and Screening Standards
CHAPTER 1117 Parking and Access Standards
CHAPTER 1119 Signs
1119.01 PURPOSE.
1119.02 SUBSTITUTION AND PROTECTION CLAUSE.
1119.03 RECLASSIFICATION OF SIGNAGE.
1119.04 APPLICABILITY.
1119.05 REVIEW AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.
1119.06 PROHIBITED SIGNS.
1119.07 MEASUREMENTS AND COMPUTATIONS.
1119.09 PERMANENT SIGNS.
1119.10 TEMPORARY SIGNS.
1119.11 NONCONFORMING SIGNS.
CHAPTER 1121 Subdivision Design Standards
CHAPTER 1123 Wind Energy Systems
CHAPTER 1125 Wireless Telecommunications
CHAPTER 1127 Nonconformities
CHAPTER 1129 Enforcement and Penalties
CHAPTER 1131 Definitions
PART THIRTEEN - BUILDING CODE
PART FIFTEEN - FIRE PREVENTION CODE
OH
Sheffield Lake
Codified Ordinances of Sheffield Lake, OH
CHAPTER 1119 Signs
CHAPTER 1119 Signs
CHAPTER 1119
Signs
1119.01   Purpose.
1119.02   Substitution and protection clause.
1119.03   Reclassification of signage.
1119.04   Applicability.
1119.05   Review and permit requirements.
1119.06   Prohibited signs.
1119.07   Measurements and computations.
1119.08   General requirements for all signs.
1119.09   Permanent signs.
1119.10   Temporary signs.
1119.11   Nonconforming signs.
   1119.01 PURPOSE.
   (a)   The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the quality of materials, construction, illumination, installation and maintenance of all signs and sign structures.
   (b)   In establishing these purposes, the City has determined that signs which do not comply with these regulations (type, size, location, and limitation on the number of signs) are a public nuisance. Unregulated signs are unduly distracting to motorists and pedestrians, and thereby create a traffic hazard and reduce the effectiveness of signs needed to direct the public.
   
   (c)   The City does not intend to infringe on the rights of free speech as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Chapter I, §11 of the Ohio Constitution. All regulations in this chapter are to be construed, whenever possible, in favor of vigorous political debate and accommodation of the rights of persons to speak freely.
(Ord. 26-22. Passed 4-26-22.)
   1119.02 SUBSTITUTION AND PROTECTION CLAUSE.
   Wherever a sign with a commercial message is allowed or permitted under this chapter, an owner may replace the message with a noncommercial message, subject to the time, place and manner provisions of this chapter, without applying for a permit and/or paying a fee that otherwise would be required for the placement of a commercial message sign on the lot; provided, that the sign structure or mounting device is legal without consideration of message content. This provision prevails over any provision to the contrary in this chapter. The purpose of this provision is to prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over noncommercial speech or favoring of any particular noncommercial message over any other noncommercial message. This provision does not create a right to increase the total amount of signage on a lot or parcel, nor does it affect the requirement that a sign structure or mounting device be properly permitted.
(Ord. 26-22. Passed 4-26-22.)
   1119.03 RECLASSIFICATION OF SIGNAGE.
   If the type of any sign that legally existed prior to the effective date of this amendment is reclassified by this amendment, such sign shall be classified as the sign type defined in this chapter and Chapter 1131: Definitions, and shall be subject to the applicable standards for such sign type from the effective date of this amendment. Such reclassification shall be regardless of any variances that were approved prior to the effective date of this amendment.
(Ord. 26-22. Passed 4-26-22.)
   1119.04 APPLICABILITY.
   (a)   No person shall erect, place, relocate, expand, modify, maintain, or otherwise alter a sign, or cause a sign to be erected, placed, relocated, expanded, modified, maintained, or otherwise altered unless all provisions of this code have been met.
   (b)   Unless otherwise provided, this chapter shall apply to any sign, in any zoning district, that is visible from a public right-of-way or from an adjacent property.
   (c)   Any sign legally established prior to the effective date of this chapter, and which sign is rendered nonconforming by the provisions herein, shall be subject to the nonconforming sign regulations of Section 1119.11: Nonconforming Signs.
   (d)   Any person installing, structurally altering and/or relocating a sign for which a permit has been issued shall be responsible for the scheduling of necessary inspections, including, but not limited to, an inspection of footings on a free-standing sign, building, and electrical inspections, etc., during the course of the work.
(Ord. 26-22. Passed 4-26-22.)
   1119.05 REVIEW AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.
   (a)   To ensure compliance with these regulations, a zoning permit shall be required to be issued unless specifically exempted in this chapter.
   (b)   All signs related to a use or development that requires a site plan review approval shall be required to be reviewed as part of the site plan review application prior to issuance of a zoning permit.
   (c)   Zoning Permit Exemptions for Signs. The following signs are subject to the requirements of this chapter but do not require a zoning permit. Permit-exempt signs may still be subject to building code or other applicable code requirements.
      (1)   Signs and/or notices issued by any court, officer, or other person in performance of a public duty. Any such sign shall be removed no later than seven (7) days after the last day it is required to be displayed;
      (2)   Whenever any sign, either conforming or nonconforming, is required to be removed for the purpose of repair, relettering, or repainting, the same may be done without a zoning permit or any payment of fees provided that all of the following conditions are met.
      (3)   There is no alteration or remodeling to the structure or the mounting of the sign itself;
      (4)   There is no enlargement or increase in any of the dimensions of the sign or its structure;
      (5)   Whenever there is an exchange of sign panels when a sign is designed to have replaceable sign faces;
      (6)   Signs that are an integral part of the original construction of vending or similar machines, fuel pumps, automated teller machines or similar devices that are not of a size or design as to be visible from a street or by any person other than those using the machine or device;
      (7)   Any sign that is located completely inside a building that is not visible from the exterior (see also definition of window sign);
      (8)   Signs that are located within a stadium, open-air theater, park, arena or other outdoor use that are not visible from a public right-of-way or adjacent property, and can be viewed only by persons within such stadium, open-air theater, park, arena or other outdoor use;
      (9)   Certain temporary signs as established in Section 1119.10: Temporary Signs;
      (10)   No more than four flags located on flagpoles or on wall-mounted posts provided that the following shall apply:
         A.   The maximum height of flag poles shall not exceed the maximum building height for structures in the subject zoning district, and a maximum sign area of area of forty (40) square feet for any individual flag attached to the pole.
         B.   The maximum projection for a wall-mounted flag post is six (6) feet and a maximum sign area of fifteen (15) square feet per flag.
      (11)   A single wall sign placed on the façade of an individual dwelling unit that is not illuminated and does not exceed two (2) square feet in area.
      (12)   Signs that are an integral part of the historic character of a structure that has been designated an official landmark or historic structure by any agency or body of the governments of the United States, State of Ohio, Lorain County or City of Sheffield Lake;
      (13)   Any signs located on umbrellas, seating, or similar patio furniture;
      (14)   Ground signs and markings located completely within the interior of a lot used for a cemetery where such signs are not designed to be visible from a public street;
      (15)   Any sign on a truck, bus or other vehicle that is used in the normal course of a business (e.g., deliveries or fleet vehicles for contractors) for transportation (See also Section 1119.06: Prohibited Signs.), or signage required by the State or Federal government;
      (16)   Signs installed or required by a governmental agency including the City of Sheffield Lake, Lorain County, State of Ohio, and United States, including local and regional transit agencies;
      (17)   Any warning signs or traffic safety signs required by public utility providers;
      (18)   Hand-held signs not set on or affixed to the ground;
      (19)   Any address numbers required by the City of Sheffield Lake, Lorain County, or the State of Ohio;
      (20)   Changes of copy on signs with changeable copy;
      (21)   Any signs, including illuminated signs, or related decorations erected in observance of religious, national or state holidays which are not intended to be permanent in nature and which contain no advertising material; and
      (22)   General maintenance, painting, repainting, cleaning and other normal maintenance and repair of a sign or any sign structure unless a structural change is made. See also Section 1119.08(m).
   (d)   Revocation of Permits for Noncompliance. The Zoning Inspector is hereby authorized and empowered to revoke any permit issued upon failure of the applicant or holder thereof to comply with any provision of this chapter.
(Ord. 26-22. Passed 4-26-22.)

Disclaimer: This Code of Ordinances and/or any other documents that appear on this site may not reflect the most current legislation adopted by the Municipality. American Legal Publishing provides these documents for informational purposes only. These documents should not be relied upon as the definitive authority for local legislation. Additionally, the formatting and pagination of the posted documents varies from the formatting and pagination of the official copy. The official printed copy of a Code of Ordinances should be consulted prior to any action being taken.

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Detected legislative history

• Ordinances of Sheffield Lake, OH
• ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF SHEFFIELD LAKE, OHIO
• ORDINANCE NO. 116-84
• ORDINANCES OF SHEFFIELD LAKE
• effectiveness of signs needed to direct the public
• Ord. 26-22
• effective date of this amendment is reclassified by this amendment, such sign shall be classified as the sign type defined in this chapter and Chapter 1131: Definitions, and shall be subjec
• effective date of this amendment
• effective date of this chapter, and which sign is rendered nonconforming by the provisions herein, shall be subject to the nonconforming sign regulations of Section 1119
• Ordinances and/or any other documents that appear on this site may not reflect the most current legislation adopted by the Municipality
• Ordinances should be consulted prior to any action being taken
• Ordinances or other documents posted on this site, please contact the Municipality directly or contact American Legal Publishing toll-free at 800-445-5588

Imported automatically by MunicipalWiki. The original publisher remains the authoritative source pending legal normalization and verification.