WASHINGTON--A Hispanic congregation that erected one 136-square-foot sign on the roof of their building and another 32-square-foot red neon sign over the entrance has lost its building and electrical sign permits.

The Washington Post reports that Administrative Judge James C. Harmon ruled the size of the sign "grossly exceeds" the maximum 40-square-foot area allowed under city law. Oral and written warnings to the church went unanswered.

The fast-growing congregation, whose English name is Church of the Living God, worked for six years to convert an abandoned hotel into a sanctuary. They are unhappy with the judge's ruling and plan to appeal.

"The church complied with all city regulations, and, as you can see, what is there now is better than what was there before," said the church's lawyer, Johnnie Barton.

Some neighbors in the residential area were also unhappy with the judge's order. Rayseen Woodland, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative for the district, said the signs improved the area.

"My constituents felt that the lights from the sign were a deterrent to drugs and prostitution in our community," Woodland said. The church's block has a history of crime and vice.

The large sign read: Iglesia del Dios Vivo Columna y Apoyo de la Verdad, translated: Church of the Living God, Pillar and Buttress of the Truth. The second sign continued the church's name and read: La Luz del Mundo, or, The Light of the World.

"To me, the church represented an image that we welcome in our community," Woodland said. "I think that the church should be compensated for taking the sign down, because the city issued them a permit and the city should be accountable for its actions."

Another neighbor, Stephanie Rones, who lives six blocks away, filed a complaint about the sign.

"Every community has to have standards; otherwise, anything goes. … If we wanted this to be Times Square, we wouldn't have restrictions," Rones said. "This is the nation's capital. We have to maintain a certain amount of decorum because this is the federal city."

Church officials estimate removing and replacing the sign will cost $30,000. Rones said the original cost for the sign listed on the permit was $7,000.