§ 4-117. Product displays, sales devices, menu boards.

Outdoor product displays with labels or signs, sales and vending devices and menu boards are allowed in freestanding signs are allowed under this section as accessory uses to an occupied premises in any zoning district except: residential districts; the FP-1 district; and the Historic Overlay District.

(a)

Nothing in this article shall prohibit or limit the outdoor display of products where allowed under the zoning ordinance, although a particular product may be a thing which would be prohibited by this article if used as a sign and although one (1) or more such products may have on them permanent labels that might otherwise fall under this article. This article shall, however, apply to any sign, banner, pennant, or other attention-attracting device affixed to a product displayed outdoors. For example, the label "Chevrolet" on an automobile or "John Deere" on a tractor shall not be considered a sign for purposes of this article, but a separate sign attached to such a product shall be considered a sign and subject to regulation.

(b)

Signs on gasoline pumps, vending machines, news racks and similar machines and devices used for the sale or dispensing of products shall be allowed without a sign permit if they do not flash and if they are either not legible from any public right-of-way, public property or private property other than the site on which the sign is located; or they consist entirely of letters, numerals or symbols that are less than four (4) inches in height. All other signs on vending machines, gas pumps, news racks and similar machines and devices shall be considered "signs" and shall be subject to all of the regulations of this article.

(c)

In districts where drive-through and drive-up facilities are allowed, menu boards or other instructional or informational devices related to the drive-through or drive-up facilities shall be allowed without a sign permit, provided that such device is less than twelve (12) square feet in size, and that the only words, numerals, symbols or pictures on such device that are legible from any location other than the site on which it is located shall include no commercial message but shall simply identify the device as a "menu," "directory," "instructions," "information" or something similar. If such a menu board or other device is larger than four (4) square feet or if it is electrified, it shall require a permit. A menu board conforming with this paragraph shall not be counted in computing the total area of signs on a site.