Common Commercial Code Violations

Banner signs are prohibited in Addison except for new businesses. A new business may display a banner sign for 60 days after opening. The ability to display a banner sign expires three months from the date a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. Use of grand opening signs only applies to new ownership. The size of the banner is limited to 50 square feet, with at least one-half of all readable copy stating "Grand Opening" or "Now Open".

No sign shall include animation, moving parts, or flashing or blinking lights. Signs that have copy that changes, moves, flashes, or blinks in no less than 8 minute intervals are not considered as animated. This includes open signs which are not allowed to flash.

Vehicular signs are prohibited unless the vehicle is used in the normal operation of business. All vehicles with a vehicular sign must be parked out of view from the street. If this is not possible due to the configuration of the property, it must be parked as far away as reasonably possible from the street. 

Signs in windows visible from public streets can only take up 20 twenty percent of the total size of the ground floor window area. The outlining of a window, on two or more sides, counts as 100% of total window sign area. 

Dumpsters and other refuse containers must be set on a designated concrete pad and approach and be screened from view by a screening enclosure. Enclosures must remain closed at all times except when being serviced.

Property owners are responsible for protecting the exterior surface of a structure from decay or degradation by application of paint or other protective coatings.

All irrigation systems are required to have an operational sensor or other technology designed to turn off sprinkler systems during periods of freezing weather or rainfall. Additionally, systems adjacent to any street, sidewalk or alley cannot operate in a way that causes damage to other property or interferes with the free movement of vehicles of pedestrians.