SB 173

The federal Highway Beautification Act requires states to restrict advertising

along interstate and federal-aid primary highways, and current state law

incorporates these requirements. Current law prohibits, with certain exceptions,

the erection or maintenance of outdoor advertising signs within 660 feet of, or

otherwise visible (and intended to be visible) from, the main-traveled way of an

interstate or federal-aid primary highway. The Department of Transportation may

remove signs that do not conform to applicable requirements but, for each sign

removed, must pay just compensation to the owner of the sign and to the owner of

the land on which the sign is located. Current law permits customary maintenance

of certain nonconforming signs but, if the nonconforming sign is enlarged, replaced,

or relocated, the sign may be removed without compensation.

This bill provides that any nonconforming sign may be removed without

compensation if the costs of repairing and maintaining the sign within any 36

consecutive months exceed 50 percent of the replacement costs of the sign and that

such repairs and maintenance do not constitute customary maintenance.