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Things to get you thinking….about Downtown Signage
Harbor Springs Sign Ordinance Review
A Community Input Guide — With the Legal Context You Need to Participate.
Thank You for Participating
Your input on these questions directly shapes what Harbor Springs’ sign ordinance looks like — and how well it reflects the community’s values. A sign ordinance that the community helped design is one the community is more likely to understand, respect, and support. Questions or comments! Reach out directly to: Jeff Grimm at assessor@cityofharborsprings.com
Prepared for Harbor Springs Community Discussion
Why We Are Having This Conversation
Harbor Springs is reviewing its sign ordinance. For residential and Downtown, Uptown and Business Sector. That review involves real choices — about how many signs are too many, what kinds of signs fit our community character, how brightly a sign can be lit, and how rules get enforced. These are not just aesthetic preferences. They are legal and civic decisions that affect residents, property owners, and businesses alike.
A guide does two things. It explains — in plain language — why sign regulation has become legally complicated for every Michigan municipality. And it asks for your input on the specific questions Harbor Springs needs to answer.
Your opinion matters. But it is most useful when you understand the legal landscape your opinion has to navigate. That is what this guide is for. Jeff Grimm met with community members for two town halls and the discussions ranged from how many signs should be allowed in the residential neighborhoods, to the more important reasons for more or less restrictions downtown.
These questions are meant to spur your imagination and to give the community reasons to email Jeff at assessor@cityofharborsprings.com your answers on what you want for Harbor Springs.
The Legal Landscape: What Changed and Why It Matters
Until recently, most communities regulated signs by type — political signs, real estate signs, garage sale signs, event signs — with different rules for each. That approach is now constitutionally dangerous.
| ⚖ WHY THIS MATTERS LEGALLY
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Reed v. Town of Gilbert, Arizona — and it changed sign law for every municipality in the country, including every city and township in Michigan. The core ruling is this: if a government official has to read the message on a sign to determine whether it is permitted, the ordinance is likely unconstitutional. That means Harbor Springs cannot legally treat a political sign differently from a real estate sign, or a garage sale sign differently from an event sign, simply because of what it says. The rules must be based on physical characteristics — size, height, placement, illumination — not on content or message type. An ordinance that fails this test is not just problematic. It exposes the city to legal liability. |
| YOUR INPUT — COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Q1: When you walk through downtown Harbor Springs, how does the current signage feel — is it too cluttered, about right, or too sparse? Q2: Do you think the current rules are applied consistently and fairly across different types of businesses and properties? Q3: What one word would you use to describe how you want Harbor Springs to look to a first-time visitor — and does the current signage support that? Q4: Are there specific streets, blocks, or areas where signage feels like a problem — either too much or too little? |
YOUR INPUT — COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Q1: How many signs do you think a downtown business should be permitted to display at one time — counting wall signs, window signs, sandwich boards, banners, and flags together?
Q2: Should the total sign count be based on the size of the business frontage — so a larger storefront is allowed more signs than a smaller one?
Q3: Are flags and banners currently being counted the same as permanent signs — and should they be?
Q4: Do you think the current number of signs in the downtown district feels about right, too many, or too few?
YOUR INPUT — COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Q1: What percentage of a storefront window should be permitted to be covered by signage — less than 25%, 25%, 30%, 50%? What feels right for Harbor Springs?
Q2: Should electronic or digital displays in windows be permitted — and if so, during what hours and at what brightness?
Q3: How should vacant storefronts be addressed — should there be rules about covered or boarded windows to maintain the streetscape?
YOUR INPUT — COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Q1: Should internally illuminated signs — where the light comes from inside the sign — be permitted in the downtown district? In residential areas?
Q2: Should LED and digital display signs be permitted? If so, should there be brightness limits, hour-of-operation limits, or restrictions on how frequently the display can change?
Q3: Should there be a curfew on illuminated signs — for example, signs must be turned off by 12 p.m.?
Q4: Are there currently illuminated signs in Harbor Springs that feel too bright or intrusive — either to pedestrians or to neighboring properties?
Q5: Should TV screens or projected message signs visible from the street be permitted — and under what conditions?
Q6: Is light pollution from signage a concern you have experienced in Harbor Springs?
YOUR INPUT — COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Q1: Do you think murals on building exteriors add to or detract from Harbor Springs’ character?
Q2: Should there be a permit or approval process for murals — and if so, who should review them and on what basis?
Q3: Should murals that include a business name or logo be treated differently from purely artistic murals — and if so, how do we draw that line without running into content-neutrality issues?
YOUR INPUT — COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Q1: Did you know Harbor Springs was reviewing its sign ordinance — and how did you find out? How would you prefer to be notified about civic processes like this one? We want every single business owner to aware that this work is being done. Please share and talk about it.
Q2: If you had one thing you wanted the City Council to understand about signage in Harbor Springs — what would it be?
Thank You for Participating
Your input on these questions directly shapes what Harbor Springs’ sign ordinance looks like — and how well it reflects the community’s values. A sign ordinance that the community helped design is one the community is more likely to understand, respect, and support. Questions or comments! Reach out directly to: Jeff Grimm at assessor@cityofharborsprings.com