OFFICIAL STANDARDS

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland pt. ONE, tit. I, ch. 105

in effect

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.01 Corporate Seal

§ 105.01 Corporate Seal (a) The corporate seal of the City of Cleveland shall consist of a disc one and three-fourths (1-3/4) inches in diameter, upon which shall be the coat of arms of the State of Ohio, surrounded by two (2) circles. The outer circle shall contain the words, “The corporate seal of the City of Cleveland” and the inner circle shall contain the words “The State of Ohio, U.S.A.” (b) The corporate seal shall be kept in the office of the Mayor, and shall be affixed to all bonds, notes or certificates of indebtedness issued by the City, to all deeds and leases executed in behalf of the City and to no other documents or papers whatever.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.02 Port Seal

§ 105.02 Port Seal The port seal of the City of Cleveland shall consist of an elliptical design in the shape of an expanded globe containing latitudinal and longitudinal lines. The port seal shall contain the words “Cleveland World Port”, offset to accommodate an outline of the Terminal Tower Group to be left of the word “World” and a freight vessel to the right of the word “Port”. The port seal is established and shall be used for promotional purposes only. (Ord. No. 685-60. Passed 4-11-60, eff. 4-12-60)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.03 Ceremonial Seal

§ 105.03 Ceremonial Seal The ceremonial seal of the City of Cleveland shall consist of a circular design divided into four (4) quadrants. The upper left quadrant shall contain a stylized skyline of the City. The upper right quadrant shall contain a leaf and tree symbol. The lower left quadrant shall contain a symbol of meshing gears. The lower right quadrant shall contain a stylized water symbol. The circumscription surrounding the new seal shall read “The Great Seal of the City of Cleveland.” The ceremonial seal is established and shall be used for ceremonial purposes only. (Ord. No. 2028-73. Passed 11-19-73, eff. 11-26-73)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.04 City Banner

§ 105.04 City Banner The Municipal emblem of the City shall be a banner of the following description and design: the banner shall consist of three (3) vertical stripes, of equal width, in color red, white and blue respectively, the red being nearest the standard and the white in the center. The middle stripe shall bear the American shield with the word “Cleveland,” in blue, across its center, and the figures “1796” in red, at its base, encircled by a laurel wreath. The outline of the lower half of the shield shall be in red and of the upper in blue. In the upper left-hand corner of the shield shall stand an anvil, hammer and wheel, and in the upper right-hand corner an anchor, windlass and oars. Under the shield, in black letters, shall be placed the words “Progress and Prosperity.”

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.05 Prohibited Uses of Banner

§ 105.05 Prohibited Uses of Banner No person, firm, company or corporation shall use the City banner or any imitation or design thereof, except for the usual and customary purposes, decoration and display. No person, firm, company or corporation shall print or stamp thereon any word, legend or device, other than those described in Section 105.04. However, the Mayor shall have authority to grant permission for the use of the design in such ways as he or she considers proper, other than for advertising purposes.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.06 Display of U.S. Flag on City Property

§ 105.06 Display of U.S. Flag on City Property The flag of the United States shall be displayed daily from sunrise to sunset on all Municipal buildings and on such stationary flagstaffs as may be located upon City property in conformity with the flag code adopted by the National Flag Conference, June 15, 1923, until such time as the United States or the State has made other provisions for the display of the National flag. (Ord. No. 1277-39. Passed 10-23-39)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.07 Display of U.S. Flag in Parade

§ 105.07 Display of U.S. Flag in Parade In all parades upon the public streets of the City the flag of the United States shall be displayed in accordance with the following rules: (a) In procession with another flag the United States flag shall be displayed on the marching right; (b) In procession with a line of other flags the United States flag shall be displayed in front of the center of the line; (c) When displayed on a motor vehicle, the United States flag shall be fastened to the body upon a separate standard. It shall not be draped over the hood, top, side or back of such vehicle; (d) Under no circumstances shall the United States flag be carried in a horizontal position. (e) On a float in a parade the flag shall be displayed from a staff only. (Ord. No. 1277-39. Passed 10-23-39)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.08 U.S. Flag Use in Unveiling Ceremonies

§ 105.08 U.S. Flag Use in Unveiling Ceremonies The United States flag when used in connection with the unveiling of a statue or monument shall not be allowed to fall to the ground upon the unveiling. It must be carried aloft to wave out, forming a distinctive feature during the remainder of such ceremony. (Ord. No. 1277-39. Passed 10-23-39)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.09 Display of U.S. Flag on Public Streets

§ 105.09 Display of U.S. Flag on Public Streets No permit shall be given for the display of the United States flag upon the streets of the City unless when displayed over the middle of the street the United States flag shall be suspended vertically, with the blue field to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street. (Ord. No. 1277-39. Passed 10-23-39)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.10 Desecration of U.S. Flag

§ 105.10 Desecration of U.S. Flag No person shall knowingly cast contempt upon any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or wearing it or spitting or trampling upon it. As used in this section, “flag of the United States” includes any flag, standard colors, ensign or any picture or representation of either, or of any part of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size purporting to be either of the flag, standard, colors or ensign of the United States of America, or a picture or a representation of either, upon which is shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, standards, colors or ensign of the United States of America. (Ord. No. 1161-70. Passed 6-29-70, eff. 7-1-70)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.11 Memorials

§ 105.11 Memorials No memorial shall be constructed, nor shall any proffer of a memorial to be constructed upon public property in the City be accepted, except pursuant to the policies hereinafter set forth: (a) The appropriateness of locating a given memorial on public lands or buildings shall be predicated upon the public character of the subject to be memorialized, the public interest in the subject to be memorialized and the public benefit implicit in the proposed memorial. (1) Memorials may appropriately be erected on public lands to recall to public attention historic events of public interest closely associated with the site. (2) Memorials may appropriately be erected on public lands to commemorate outstanding cultural achievements, public services or patriotic sacrifices of inspirational value to all citizens. (3) Memorials bearing the names of profit- making organizations shall not be erected on public lands. (b) An approval for any memorial site proposed on public property shall be based upon the following policy: (1) Memorials marking spots or areas of historic interest may be located appropriately at or near the areas memorialized. (2) Memorials commemorating the activities or interests of local groups or private organizations may most appropriately be placed on the properties or within the headquarters of the interested groups. (3) Memorials commemorating the patriotic sacrifice or outstanding public service of individuals or groups may appropriately be located in areas which the public popularly associates with their name. (4) Memorials not falling under the above classifications and found to merit a public location shall be grouped in designated memorial areas rather than distributed throughout public lands. (5) Special consideration shall be given by the Fine Arts Committee of the City Planning Commission to the placement of any important memorial costing more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) which may be determined to be an asset to the City’s cultural life. (c) The character and design of any memorial proposed for a location on public land shall be approved by the Commission through its Fine Arts Committee and the director of the department responsible for the affected property before it may be submitted to Council for acceptance. (d) No memorial to be located on public property shall be approved for acceptance before a fund has been set up by the sponsors to provide for its maintenance. (e) A memorial accepted by the City may be moved to another location if, after careful consideration, the Planning Commission and the directors of the departments responsible for the affected properties rule the proposed relocation to be in the public interest. (Ord. No. 1033-47. Passed 7-31-47)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.12 City Base Levels

§ 105.12 City Base Levels The plane of reference for the grades of streets, sewers, water pipes and for all levels taken, or elevations established in the City shall be the mean sea level datum, or base, as used by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and is hereby established as six hundred fifty six and ninety-three hundredths (656.930) feet below the elevation of bench mark No. 1 situated in the northeastern section of Monumental Park, commonly called Public Square. Such bench mark is a bronze bolt, encased in masonry, and provided with suitable cover, located about one hundred seventy-four and twenty-two hundredths (174.22) feet easterly of the center line of Ontario Street, and one hundred fifty- three and forty-one hundredths (153.41) feet northerly of the center line of Superior Avenue, N.W. The plane of reference is fixed as six hundred sixty-eight and four hundred ninety-nine thousandths (668.499) feet below the brass plate bench mark on the westerly and of the parapet wall on the Superior Avenue side of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ monument in the Public Square. (Ord. No. 781-41. Passed 6-9-41)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.13 Marking City Vehicles

§ 105.13 Marking City Vehicles The words “City of Cleveland” shall be painted plainly visible on the outside of the body of each motor vehicle owned by the City. The letters of these words shall be at least four (4) inches in the least dimension, and the color shall contrast with the color of the vehicle body. Motor vehicles used by the Division of Police in the detection and the suppression of crime shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. No person shall operate a City vehicle which is not lettered as prescribed herein.

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 105.99 Penalty

§ 105.99 Penalty (a) Whoever uses the City banner for advertising purposes, or prints, stamps, or emblazons thereon any word, legend or device, not duly authorized as stated in Section 105.04, shall be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00). Each banner so used or so printed or stamped constitutes a separate offense. (b) Whoever displays the flag of the United States contrary to the provisions of Sections 105.07 to 105.09, shall be fined not more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00). (c) Whoever violates Section 105.10 shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisoned not more than one (1) year, or both. (d) Whoever violates Section 105.13 shall be fined not more than ten dollars ($10.00). (Ord. No. 1161-70. Passed 6-29-70, eff. 7-1-70)

Source: City of Cleveland, Ohio, Codified Ordinances and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/cleveland/latest/cleveland_oh/0-0-0-1459Fetched: 11/1/2026