Ordinance No. 131 Consolidated Land Use Ordinance

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5. Signs may be integrated into the design of a permanent canopy, if one is otherwise allowed on the property, with the sign area on any side of the canopy not exceeding one (1) square foot per lineal foot of the side. 3. Window Signs. Permanent window signs are permitted in the Neighborhood General, Neighborhood Mixed -Use and Neighborhood Center subzones of the Gateway District. Temporary window signs are permitted in all districts. Permanent window signs shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the area of the window on which it is installed; the total of all permanent and temporary window signs may not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the total window area of any building frontage. 4. Illumination; Electronic Message Center and Changeable Copy Signs. Illuminated signs (internal or external) and signs with changeable copy are not permitted in Residential zoning areas and the Neighborhood Edge subzone of the Gateway District. In districts where illuminated signs or electronic signs are permitted, the use of lighting, electronic message center, or dynamic display as an element of a sign is a conditional use. Application for approval of lighting or electronic features shall be made in the manner of a conditional use permit, using the procedure stated at Section 17.5 of this Ordinance. 1. Illumination. Internally illuminated signs are permitted in the Neighborhood Mixed -Use and Neighborhood Center subzones only. Externally lit signs shall use lighting that is directed downward and away from adjacent properties and rights -of -way. Lights used for external illumination shall be shielded or screened from any roadway, and shall not be visible from the roadway or sidewalk. 2. Changeable Copy. Changeable copy by non -electronic means may be utilized on any permitted sign in areas where allowed. The changeable copy area shall not exceed forty percent (40%) of the total permitted area for any sign. 3. Electronic Message Center (EMC) or Dynamic Display signs. EMC or dynamic display signs are permitted if erected within fifty (50) feet of the right-of-way for Highway 61 or County Road E within the City of Gem Lake. Only one (1) such sign is permitted per property, regardless of the number of tenants. Motion is permitted for up to eight (8) seconds for any single set of changeable copy, but the changeable copy may not change or be repeated by flashing more than once every sixteen (16) seconds. EMCs and dynamic displays must have an automatic dimming capability that adjusts the brightness to the ambient light at all times of day or night. 4. Any changeable copy area (manual, EMC or dynamic display) may not exceed 40% of the total freestanding sign area permitted to the owner or tenant. 5. Features Prohibited on Signs. No sign permitted by these regulations, with or without a permit, shall have: moving, rotating or revolving parts; flashing, rotating or oscillating lights (except for EMCs and dynamic displays where permitted); neon lights; beacons or searchlights; attached materials such as pennants or streamers; exposed raceways, ballast boxes or transformers; or other clearly similar features. 6. Signs Prohibited if Not Expressly Permitted. Any type of sign or method of sign construction or display that these regulations do not expressly permit, or expressly exempt, is hereby prohibited within the City of Gem Lake. 3. Construction Standards. The construction, erection, safety and maintenance of all signs shall comply with the Minnesota State Building Code and Electrical Code and all of the following: 1. Signs shall be structurally sound and located so as to pose no reasonable threat to pedestrian or vehicular traffic. 2. All permanent freestanding signs over four feet in height shall have self-supporting structures erected on or permanently attached to concrete foundations. A freestanding sign shall not use guy wires for support. 3. Freestanding signs shall be designed for wind pressure of not less than thirty (30) pounds per square foot. 4. Signs should not obscure windows or other architectural features of the building with which they are associated. Updated January 2025 — Gem Lake Consolidated Land Use Ordinance No. 131 101