It is the declared purpose of this article that, in time, all privately owned signs shall either conform to the provisions of this article or be removed. By the passage of this article and its amendments, no presently illegal sign shall be deemed to have been legalized unless such sign complies with all current standards under the terms of this article and all other ordinances of the city. Any sign which does not conform to all provisions of this article shall be a nonconforming sign if it legally existed as a conforming or nonconforming sign under prior ordinances, or an illegal sign if it did not exist as a conforming or nonconforming sign, as the case may be. It is further the intent and declared purpose of this article that no offense committed, and no liability, penalty or forfeiture, either civil or criminal, incurred prior to the time this article was adopted, shall be discharged or affected by such passage, but prosecution and suits for such offenses, liabilities, penalties or forfeitures may be instituted, and causes presently pending may proceed.
(1995 Code, sec. 13-26)
All of the following signs shall be construed a public nuisance and the city may, without notice, remove and impound any of the following signs:
(1) 
Any sign erected or existing that constitutes a traffic hazard; and
(2) 
Any sign erected in or over a public right-of-way, except those signs allowed under sections 3.04.125 and 3.04.126 of this article.
(1995 Code, sec. 13-27)
Nonconforming signs which have been blown down or otherwise destroyed or dismantled for any purpose other than maintenance operations or for changing the letters, symbols, or other matter on the sign, shall be removed or brought into compliance with the article if the cost of repairing the sign is more than sixty (60) percent of the cost of erecting a new sign of the same type at the same location.
(1995 Code, sec. 13-28)
Impounded signs may be recovered by the owner within ten (10) days of the date of impoundment. Signs that are not recovered within ten (10) days of impoundment will be destroyed.
(1995 Code, sec. 13-29)