NO. 6021-07
DEFINITIONS
Airport
District: The Zoning District AD as defined in Flint
Township Ordinance No. 5500, being the Zoning Ordinance of the
Billboard:
A sign separate from a premises erected for
the purpose of advertising a product, event, person, or subject not related to
the premises on which the sign is located.
Permitted off-premises directional signs shall not be considered
billboards for the purpose of this article.
Board of
Appeals: The Board of Appeals established in Article
27 of Flint Township Ordinance No. 5500, as amended.
Building Administrator: The Building
Administrator as named by the Township Board.
The authority, duties, and responsibilities of the Building
Administrator set forth in the Ordinance may be exercised by any qualified
employee of the Township designated by the Building Administrator.
(i) Are
connected partly by walls, partitions, covered canopies, or other structural members to form one (1)
continuous structure; and
Clearance
of a Sign: The smallest vertical distance between the
grade of the adjacent street or bottom of street curb and the lowest point of
any sign, including all framework, except sign support
poles extending over that grade.
Commercial
Center: Any group
of two (2) or more individual parcels for commercial or industrial
establishments as part of a development area of not less than ten (10) acres
and which;
(i) Have frontage on a common roadway or
roadways within the development area.
(ii)
The
roadway or roadways provide access to a
(iii) Each individual parcel, when
occupied, will be independent from the other
Commercial
Premises: Premises used or occupied for transportation,
retail sales, or service businesses; apartment motels, tourist homes, or
motels; or commercial recreation.
Community
Event Sign: A portable sign registered with and approved
by the Flint Township Building Department, which is erected for a limited time
to call attention to special events of interest to the general public which are
sponsored by governmental agencies, schools, churches, or other groups which
are non-profit and whose purpose is charitable, philanthropic, religious, or
benevolent.
Construction
Sign: A sign erected on premises that may identify
the architects, engineers, contractors, or other parties responsible for a
project, or identify the intended purposes or uses of the premises.
Curb
Line: The back line of a curb.
Directional Sign: A sign identifying the exit(s) and
entrance(s) of premises or other directional information.
Directly Illuminated Sign: A sign illuminated with a light
source that is not shielded.
Elderly Housing Residential District: The Zoning
District EH as defined in Flint Township Ordinance No. 5500, being the Zoning
Ordinance of the
Free-Standing Sign: A sign in which the principal support is
independent of any building.
Front of the Building and Business Frontage: Shall
each mean that wall of the building fronting on the road, which is the address
of the premises. Businesses whose side
or rear borders on a public or private alley, or
public or private parking area may consider such area as frontage for purposes
of calculating surface area of wall signs.
General Business District: The Zoning District C-2 as defined in Flint Township Ordinance No. 5500,
being Zoning Ordinance of the
Height of Sign: The vertical distance measured from
the highest point of the sign, including
any decorative embellishments, to the grade of the adjacent street or the
surface grade beneath the sign, whichever ground elevation is higher (Compare
with “Clearance”).
Highway Service District: The Zoning District C-3 as
defined in Flint Township Ordinance No. 5500, being Zoning Ordinance of the
Indirectly Illuminated Sign: A sign illuminated with a light
source so shielded as to illuminated only to the
surface of the sign.
Industrial District: The Zoning District IND with
Institutional Premises: Premises or portions thereof upon which is
situated a public utility or other publicly owned, operated, or administered
facility; any public, private, or commercial-vocational school; a cultural
facility, including a religious or charitable facility.
Local Business District: The Zoning District C-1, as defined in Flint
Township Ordinance No. 5500, being Zoning Ordinance of
the
Major Street: Any state or primary road as defined by the
Board of County Road Commissioners of the
Manufactured Home/Mobile Home Park District: The Zoning
District RMH as defined in Flint Township Ordinance No. 5500, being the Zoning
Ordinance of the
Multiple Family Residential District: The Zoning
District RM-1 as defined in Flint Township Ordinance No. 5500, being the Zoning
Ordinance of the
Off Premises Sign: A sign which directs attention to use,
business, commodity, service, or activity not conducted, sold, or offered on
the premises upon which the sign is located, such as but not limited to,
“billboards” or “outdoor advertising.”
Office Service District: The Zoning District O-1 as defined in Flint
Township Ordinance No. 5500, being the Zoning Ordinance of the
On Premises Sign: A sign which identifies the occupant of the
premises or relates solely to the use, business, or profession conducted, or to
a principal commodity, service, or entertainment sold, offered, or provided
upon the premises.
Parking District: The Zoning District P as defined in Flint
Township Ordinance No. 5500, being the Zoning Ordinance of the
Political Sign: A sign relating to the election of a person or
persons to public office or relating to a political party or relating to a
matter to be voted upon at an election called by a public body.
Portable Sign: Any sign which by its description, nature, or
form of construction may be or is intended to be moved from one location to
another.
Premises:
A unit of contiguous real property under common ownership.
Projecting Sign: Any sign attached to
a building which extends more than twelve (12) inches beyond any vertical
surface of the building which supports it.
Reader
Board Sign: Reader Board means one of the following:
(i)
Manual. A Sign on which a copy is changed manually,
periodically.
(ii)
Automatic: An electrically controlled sign, where
different copy changes are shown on the same unexposed lamp bank or scrolling
portion of the face of the sign, used as a message center reader board.
Real
Estate Sign: A sign advertising the sale, rental, or lease
of the premises or part of the premises on which the sign is displayed.
Real
Estate Development Directional Sign: An off-site temporary sign registered and approved by the
Flint Township Building Department, that indicates the location of a real estate
development.
Recreational
Premises: Premises
as described in C-3 Highway Service District used or occupied for recreational
purposes, and/or including parks, play areas, indoor or outdoor swimming pools,
bathing beaches, boating and fishing areas, winter recreation areas, and nature
study areas. Also, other recreational
uses such as tennis courts, archery courts, shuffleboard, horseshoe courts,
miniature golf, golf driving range, children’s amusement parking, or similar
outdoor recreation uses.
Roof Signs:
Any sign which is attached to a building and which extends wholly or
partly above the top line of the building silhouette or above any portion of
the roof surface.
Sandwich Sign: A sign that consists of two boards upon which a message is
posted, which is hinged at the top and open at the bottom so that the boards
can lean against each other when placed on the ground or can be worn by a
person.
Sign:
Any name, identification, description, display, illustration, wall art,
surface, or device (including its structure and component parts) which is
affixed to, or otherwise located
within, represented directly or indirectly upon a building, structure, vehicle,
or land, which bears any inscription, notice, motto or design, or which directs
attention to an object, product, project, place, activity, person institution,
organization, business, or service, and is visible from any public street,
right-of-way, sidewalk, alley, park, or other area open to the public.
Single
Family Residential District: The Zoning Districts
R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, and R-1D as defined in
Snipe
Sign: A sign affixed to a tree, fence, utility
pole, light pole, or similar structure, or a ground sign with a wire support or
base.
Subdivision
Identification Sign: A sign, which identifies the name of a
residential development, which is harmonious in appearance with that of the
vicinity.
Surface
Area of a Sign: The area expressed in square feet, within a
single continuous rectilinear perimeter of straight lines enclosing the extreme
limits of writing, representations, emblems, flags, or figures of a similar
character together with all material or color forming an integral part of a
sign, together with the border and background thereof: provided, that:
(i)
In
the case of a sign designed with more than one (1) exterior face, the area
shall be computed as including only the maximum single surface which is visible
from any ground position.
(ii)
And
the areas of lamps, illuminated tubing or similar items on the walls of any
structure shall be counted as part of the total allowable sign area.
(iii) The supports or uprights on which
any sign is supported shall not be included in determining the surface area
unless such supports or uprights are designed in such manner as to form an integral background of the sign.
Wall
Sign: A Sign, which
is attached directly to or otherwise, inscribed upon a building wall.
2.01
Sign Permit Required. No person shall erect a sign,
and no person shall structurally alter, add to, or attach any sign to an
existing sign, which shall either increase the area thereof or constitute a
structural alteration thereof or an addition thereto, without first obtaining a
sign permit to do so in the manner hereinafter provided.
(1)
Application for such sign permit shall be
filed with the Building Administrator and shall give the name of the person who
is to erect or alter the sign, the plans and specifications of the sign and the
proposed method of erection or alteration together with complete information
regarding the equipment to be used for such work, and shall be accompanied also
by evidence that the applicant responsible for the erection or alteration of
such sign is insured against personal injury and property damage arising out of
such erection or alteration to the extent of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars
($500,000.00). The insurance is required
only if the estimated cost of construction exceeds $5,000.00. If the Building Administrator finds that such
sign, when constructed and erected in accordance with the proposed plans and
specifications, will comply with the provisions of the Ordinance and with the
state law, and that the equipment to be used is adequate to protect the public
safety during the erection or alteration thereof, the Building Administrator
shall issue a sign permit.
(2)
A sign permit fee as determined by Township
Ordinance shall be paid at the time of filing the application for a sign
permit.
(3) All
electrical equipment shall be UL Listed.
2.02 Maintenance
of Signs. All signs and all supports
therefore shall:
(1) Be kept in compliance with the
plans and specifications filed and approved for issuance of the sign
permit;
(2) Be kept
and maintained in a safe condition, and
(3) At all
times conform to all applicable provisions of this Ordinance.
2.03 Inspection. The Building Department may at any time
inspect any sign. If upon inspection a sign is found to be unsafe or in a
condition that does not comply with the applicable provisions of this
Ordinance, the Building Department shall give notice of such conditions to the
owner or person responsible for such sign. Such person shall, within seven (7)
working days thereafter, make or cause to be made, the necessary repairs or
alterations, or remove the sign.
(1) If the Building Administrator finds a sign to
be in a condition, constituting such a danger to public safety that immediate
repairs or the removal thereof are required, he/she shall take such lawful
steps as may be necessary to protect the safety of the public. The reasonable and necessary costs incurred
by the Building Administrator shall be a lien against the property and shall be
reported to the assessing officer of the Township, who shall assess the cost
against the property. The owner or party
in interest in whose name the property appears upon the last tax assessment
records of the Township shall be notified of the amount of such cost by first
class mail at the address shown on the records.
If he/she fails to pay the same within thirty days after mailing by
assessor of the notice of the amount thereof, the assessor shall add the same to
the next tax roll of the Township, and the same shall be collected in the same
manner in all respects as provided by law for the collection of taxes by the
Township.
2.04 Court
Orders. If any owner, occupant, or
other person in charge of any premises fails or refuses to permit free access and
entry to the premises under his/her control or part thereof with respect to
which an inspection authorized by this Ordinance is sought to be made, the
Building Administrator may, upon showing that probable cause exists for the
inspection and for the issuance of an Order directing compliance with the
requirements of this Ordinance, petition and obtain such order from a court of
competent jurisdiction. Failure to
comply with such an Order shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance.
Section III
3.01 Signs
Permitted-Single Family Residential Districts.
4.01 Signs
Excluded. The following signs,
except as in this Ordinance expressly included, shall be excluded from the
requirements of this Ordinance.
(1)
One
(1) wall sign or one (1) ground sign not to exceed two (2) square feet in
surface area to designate an assigned house number and/or occupying name. Such sign shall not be counted in the total
sign area permitted on the premises.
(2)
Any
sign, traffic signal or warning device erected or displayed by any public
agency. Such signs shall not be counted against the number of signs or included
in the total sign area permitted on the premises on which they are located.
(3)
Free
standing signs or wall signs indicating “No Parking”, “