§ 196-2. Permit requirements.

A. 

General. No sign shall be erected, altered or relocated without a permit issued by the Land Use Department. Where multiple signs are to be attached to a building, the exact location of the signs on the building shall be subject to approval by the Land Use Department at the time the permit is issued, unless the sign is located in a Historic District or unless the sign permit is being issued pursuant to a decision of the Sign Committee or Planning Board.

B. 

Applications. The applicant must submit to the Land Use Department a completed sign permit application, together with all supporting materials specifying building and sign dimensions, colors, attachment methods, position of the sign, and any other such pertinent information the Land Use Department may require to ensure compliance with this bylaw and any other applicable laws. Permit applications will be reviewed and acted upon as follows:

(1) 

The Planning Board shall review permit applications for signs associated with a project under site plan review.

(2) 

The Land Use Department shall review permit applications for replacement signs, Main Street banners, and temporary signs.

(3) 

The Historic District Commission shall review permit applications for all signs in the Historic Districts, including temporary signs as specified in § 196-9.

(4) 

The Sign Committee, appointed annually by the Town Manager, shall review all other permit applications.

C. 

Fees. Fees for sign permits shall be paid in accordance with the schedule of fees established by the Town Manager.

D. 

Nullification; extension. A sign permit shall become null and void if the work for which the permit was issued has not been completed within a period of six months from the date of the permit provided. For all sign permits, the Land Use Department may, in its discretion, issue extensions covering a period not to exceed one year from the date of issue of the original permit.

E. 

(Reserved)

F. 

Compatibility with neighborhood and building context.

	Signs shall be visually compatible with the building, neighboring buildings, and the character of the neighborhood or district in which they are located. Signs shall be carefully located to avoid obscuring important architectural building features, property sightlines, and views.
	Sign material(s), scale, coloring, and details should be compatible with the structure or context with which they are associated.
	Any sign mounted to a building shall be in a location suitable for that particular sign. The scale and proportions of the sign shall be compatible with the surrounding building elements, and the materials shall be compatible with surrounding materials. Sign attachment shall be accomplished in such a manner that when the sign is removed, there is no permanent damage to the building or important architectural features.
	Relocation of an existing, authorized sign to a new location requires review and approval. A sign which may have been well integrated with its previous location may not necessarily fit as well in a new location.
	If lighting is proposed, it shall be placed appropriately given the location with a minimum of wattage and ambient light. All lighting shall comply with the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) "fixture seal of approval" program certification standards.

G. 

Inspection. Any sign may be inspected periodically by the Land Use Department for compliance with this bylaw. All signs and other advertising structures, together with all their supports, braces, hooks, guys and anchors, shall be of substantial and sturdy construction, shall be kept in good repair and shall be painted or cleaned as often as necessary to maintain a clean, neat, safe and orderly appearance. Within 10 days of notice of noncompliance, the owner must take steps to correct the same.

H. 

Removal of existing signs.

(1) 

Conforming signs may remain until and unless they violate this bylaw.

(2) 

Nonconforming signs which predate adoption of this bylaw shall be subject to a permit requirement for any enlargement, redesign, replacement, or alteration in any way, including repainting in a different color.