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Council adopts updated sign ordinance after planning commission recommendation
Summary
The council voted to repeal and replace section 17.706 of the town code, adopting a revised sign ordinance that removes content-based distinctions and focuses on sign placement, size and limited conditions for LED signs in residential areas.
The Nearest Town Council voted March 9 to repeal and replace the town’s sign ordinance, adopting revisions to section 17.706 after a joint public hearing with the planning commission.
Planning commission representatives told the council the rewrite removes content‑based categories and instead regulates signs by type, placement and size. A presenter explained the change responds to recent court guidance limiting municipal control over sign content: “We can’t control it,” and “They can say whatever they want,” the presenter said, describing how the new draft eliminates content distinctions and classifies signs as temporary or permanent.
The draft also includes conditions for LED signage in residential areas, limiting nonresidential LED displays and requiring automated shutoff at night. The planning commission voted to recommend the ordinance and, following a motion on the council floor to adopt the repeal-and-replace measure (amended to include a finding that adoption promotes public necessity, convenience and the general welfare), the council carried the motion.
Council members asked detailed questions about prescriptive elements—such as requirements for encasing changeable-copy signs and how previously approved, nonconforming signs will be treated—and planning staff said the rewrite is generally less restrictive and intended to correct earlier approvals that were not handled under current rules.
The council’s approval completes the local legislative step; the ordinance will take effect according to the town’s normal ordinance-adoption rules. The council said additional administrative implementation details will follow as staff updates enforcement guidance and public information.
