Complete Signage Laws for the Laketown Improvement District (LID)

As per Kenner City Ordinance No. 12,571 – Adopted June 21, 2024

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🏛️ Purpose of the LID Sign Regulations

The City of Kenner established the Laketown Improvement District (LID) to improve the visual appeal of commercial corridors, eliminate visual clutter and blight, promote public safety, and encourage economic reinvestment. These regulations strictly limit the types, size, lighting, and placement of signage, and they seek to phase out nonconforming signs by 2029.

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🔹 I. General Rules for All Signs

• Maximum Brightness:
  Illumination shall not exceed 50 lumens per square foot of the sign face.

• Lighting Restrictions:
  No signs may be lit with:

  • Flashing

  • Blinking

  • Scintillating lights

  • Animated or color-changing lights

• Location Restrictions:
  No signs may be placed on or over public right-of-ways, highways, streets, public buildings, or city-owned property unless explicitly authorized by the City Council.

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🧱 II. Detached Signs

Detached signs are freestanding signs not attached to a building. Only specific types are allowed:

1. Monument Signs

✅ Permitted
🚫 Pole Signs Prohibited

• Quantity: 1 per property

• Max Area:

  • 0.5 square feet per linear foot of site frontage, OR

  • 50 square feet, whichever is less

• Max Height:

  • 8 feet from the lowest adjacent grade

• Design Notes:

  • Must be a low-profile, ground-mounted structure.

  • No electronic or animated elements allowed.

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2. Directional Signs

• Purpose: Used for navigation or directing vehicles/pedestrians

• Max Area: 4 square feet per sign

• Max Height: 4 feet

• Quantity: Not limited

• Special Note: Area of directional signs is not counted toward maximum allowed signage.

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3. Menu Boards

a. Portable Menu Board

• Quantity: 1 per property

• Max Area: 4 square feet

• Use Case: Usually placed in walk-up service areas

• Not included in the total detached signage area

b. Drive-Through Menu Board

• Quantity: 1 per drive-through lane

• Max Area: 48 square feet

• Max Height: 8 feet

• Location Requirement: Must be located at least 20 feet from the front property line

• Prohibited Features:

  • No digital advertising

  • No Electronic Variable Message (EVM) content

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🏢 III. Attached Signs

Attached signs are those that are mounted to a building’s wall, canopy, window, or other facade feature.

1. Flat or Projecting Signs

• Max Area:

  • 3 square feet per linear foot of building frontage

  • Up to a maximum of 300 square feet

• Corner Lots:

  • May add 1 additional flat/projecting sign per street-facing facade

• Projection Limit:

  • Signs cannot extend more than 18 inches from the wall

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2. Hanging Signs

• Quantity: 1 per business

• Max Area: 4 square feet

• Clearance: Minimum 7 feet between sidewalk and bottom of sign

• Not counted toward the business's total allowed sign area

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3. Awning Signs

• Max Area: 20 square feet per awning

• Counted in total sign area for the building

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4. Window Signs

• Quantity: 1 per business

• Max Coverage: Cannot occupy more than 10% of total window area

• Counted in total sign area

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5. Building Directory Signs

• Allowed only if tenant spaces do not have ground-level entrances

• Max Area: 4 square feet

• Placement: Within 8 feet of the main entrance

• Not counted toward total signage allowance

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🚫 IV. Prohibited Sign Types

The following signs are not allowed under any circumstances in the Laketown Improvement District:

1. Pole-type detached signs

2. Animated signs

3. Projector signs

4. Electronic Variable Message Signs (EVMs)

5. Off-premises signs (billboards)

6. Temporary signs like banners, placards, posters

7. Any sign type not explicitly permitted in the ordinance

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🔁 V. Nonconforming Signs & Amortization (Section 6.17-A)

⏳ Grace Period:

Nonconforming signs must be removed or replaced by December 31, 2029.
Only legally nonconforming signs (installed prior to this ordinance) qualify.

🚫 A Nonconforming Sign Cannot Be:

• Replaced with another nonconforming sign

• Expanded in height, width, depth, or weight

• Rebuilt after more than 50% damage

• Reinstalled after 60+ days of business inactivity

• Altered to extend its useful life

🧱 Construction/Expansion Rules:

• No new building permit will be issued for a site that contains nonconforming signs unless those signs are brought into compliance.

• Exceptions include interior-only renovations.

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📬 VI. Immediate Sign Removal Required If:

The following signs must be removed immediately:

1. Signs that were never legally permitted

2. Signs located in the public right-of-way, servitude, or on city property

3. Signs advertising a business that no longer operates at the location

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🧰 VII. Routine Maintenance & Clarifications

• You can perform routine maintenance (painting, fixing, etc.) as long as it doesn’t:

  • Increase the sign’s size

  • Alter its nonconforming status

• Code Enforcement is authorized to notify and, if needed, remove noncompliant signs

• Property owners are given 60 days to comply with removal orders

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📊 Sign Tables from Ordinance

Detached Signs Table (LID)

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Attached Signs Table (LID)

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📝 Final Notes

• All new signage must follow these LID standards — no exceptions.

• Failure to comply may result in fines, denial of permits, or forced removal.

• Existing pole signs and digital signs are grandfathered only until 2029.

• A redesign and new sign permit is required for any updates on sites with nonconforming signage.