2020-1157 Ordinance Amending City Code Regarding Dynamic (Electronic) Signs CITY OF HOPKINS
COUNTY OF HENNEPIN
ORDINANCE NO. 2020-1157
ORDINANCE AMENDING CITY CODE REGARDING DYNAMIC (ELECTRONIC)
SIGNS
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HOPHINS
HEREBY ORDAINS AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Hopkins City Code, Part III, Chapter 102, Article XXI, Signs is hereby amended
by adding as follows:
Sec. 102-729.—Dynamic Signs.
1. District Limitations: All dynamic signs shall comply with the zoning and road classification
standards listed below and the pexformance standards detailed in this section. A conditional use
permit shall be required for any dynamic signs located on a property adjacent to any residential
use or district.
a. Business, Business Park or Institutional Districts. Dynamic signs may be located on
properties within the B-3 - General Business,B-4 - Neighborhood Business, Business Paxk
or Institutional zoning districts,provided the proposed dynamic sign will be located along a
principal arterial or minor reliever road as designated in the comprehensive plan. Any such
sign proposed to be so located and abutting and residential use or zoning district shall only
be approved through issuance of a condirional use permit.
b. Residential Districts. Dynamic signs may be located on public and institutional uses within a
residential zone,provided the proposed dynamic sign will be located along a principal
arterial,minor reliever or major collector road as designated in the comprehensive plan. Any
such sign shall only be approved through issuance of a conditional use permit.
2. Location: The sign must be located on the site of the use identified or advertised by the sign.
3. Orientation: Electronic signs must be positioned so as to limit their unpact on adjacent
residential uses. At a minimum, such signs shall be positioned perpendicular to the adjacent
public right-of-way.
4. Type of Sign: Dynamic signs are limited to ground signs only as defined in this Article.
5. Text Size and Legibility: The following ininimum text sizes shall apply to all dynamic signs. If
a sign is located on a cornex with streets that have differing speed limits, the muiiinum text size
shall be based on the standard for the higher speed limit to ensure ma�mum legibility.
Minimum Text Sizes for Dynamic Signs
Speed Limit of Adjacent Road Minimum Text Size
25 to 34 MPH 7"
35 to 44 MI'H 9"
45 to 54 MPH 12"
55 MPH or More 15"
6. Mode: Dynamic signs shall only be allowed to operate in a staric mode.Anunarion, motion or
video displays are pxohibited. Any change from one static display to another must be
instantaneous and shall not include any distracting effects, such as dissolving, spinning or fading.
The images and messages displayed must be complete in themselves,without continuation in
content to the next image or message or to any other sign.
7. Size and Number of Dynamic Display: Dynamic signs shall not exceed the Maxunum Sign
Area of a Single Sign as detailed in Section 102-725—Permitted Signs by District for the
applicable zoning district in which the sign is placed. The dynamic portion of any sign shall not
exceed eighty (80) percent of the total allowable area of the sign. The remaining twenty (20)
percent of the allowable sign area cannot have dynamic capabilities even if it is not used. Each
site can have only one dynamic sign and that sign can have only one dynamic display.
8. Minimum Display Time: The minimum display time shall be twenty (20) minutes. One
exception to this standard would be for time, date and temperature signs which the fedexal court
has acknowledged as a justifiable exception to limitations on variable message signs. The time,
date and temperature information may change no faster than once every three (3) seconds,
provided that the display of this information remains for at least twenty (20) minutes before
changing to another display.
9. Brightness: Dynamic signs shall not exceed a ma�mum illumination of five thousand (5,000)
nits during daylight hours and a ma�xnum illumination of five hundred (500) nits between dusk
to dawn as measured from the sign's face at maximum brightness. All dynamic sign applications
shall include certification from the sign's manufactureY that the sign has been pxeset to conform
to the luminance levels noted above and these settings are protected from end users'
manipulation by password protected software.
10. Color: Dynamic signs may use multiple colors within the display but the use of color shall not
create distraction or a hazard to the public health, safety or welfare. No portion of the display
may change in color or color intensity in any manner. Each line of text in any direction shall be
uniform in color.
11. Operation: All dynamic signs shall be equipped with a means to immediately discontinue the
display if it malfunctions. The owner of a dynamic sign must unmediately cease operation of
their sign when notified by the city that it fails to comply with the standards of this chapter. The
dynamic sign shall remain inoperable until such time that the owner demonstrates to the city that
the device is in satisfactory working condition and conforms to the standards of this chapter.
Appeals of the city's direcrion regarding the operarion of a dynamic sign shall follow the appeals
process outlined in Chapter 102,Arricle III, Section 102-96, "Board of Appeals and
Adjustments."
12. Application to Existing Signs:The dynamic sign standards shall apply to all e�sting and
future dynamic signs,unless otherwise deterinined by the city that an e�sting sign qualifies as a
nonconforming use under state statute or this code. Any existing dynamic sign that cannot meet
the minimum text size as required by the speed limit must use the largest size possible for one
line of copy to fit in the available display space.
SECTION 2. The effective date of this ordinance shall be the date of publication.
First Reading: September 1, 2020
Second Reading: September 15, 2020
Date of Publication: September 24, 2020
Date Ordinance Takes Effect: September 24, 2020
By
J on Gadd, Mayor
ATTEST:
Amy Domeier, City Clerk