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Bills from the 2013–14 session

Senate Bill 188

The removal of nonconforming outdoor advertising signs along highways. (FE)

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    May 23, 2013

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 8, 2014: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

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. However, various exceptions apply to this prohibition, including exceptions for the following: 1) signs advertising activities conducted on the property on which the sign is located (on-property signs) if certain conditions are met; 2) signs in business areas if certain conditions are met or the signs were erected before March 19, 1972 (business area signs); 3) directional and other official signs meeting certain criteria (directional signs); and 4) certain signs located more than 660 feet from the highway (signs outside the adjacent area).

Under current law, the Department of Transportation (DOT) generally 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. For on-property signs, if the on-property sign was lawful when it was erected but later does not comply with the applicable requirements for on-property signs, DOT must declare the sign to be nonconforming but may not remove the sign unless additional criteria are met. These signs are not subject to removal for changing the advertising message on the sign or performing customary maintenance on the sign, but are subject to removal, without compensation, if the sign is enlarged, replaced, or relocated or if additional signs are erected. For signs lawfully erected after March 18, 1972, which subsequently become nonconforming, DOT must require removal of the signs, with compensation, by the end of the fifth year after they become nonconforming, but only if there are sufficient funds available to DOT to pay just compensation for the sign removal.

Read the full summary

Under this bill, business area signs, directional signs, and signs outside the adjacent area (together referred to as off-property signs) that were lawfully erected but which no longer conform to applicable requirements must be declared nonconforming but are not subject to removal unless additional criteria are met.

These nonconforming off-property signs are not subject to removal for changing the advertising message on the sign or performing customary maintenance on the sign.

These signs must remain substantially the same as they were on the date they became nonconforming in order to be exempt from removal by DOT although they can have an extension temporarily attached to the sign face if certain conditions are met. "Substantially the same" is defined to mean that, since the sign became nonconforming, no "substantial change" to the sign has been made. "Substantial change" to a sign is defined to mean any of the following: increasing the number of vertical supports; changing the physical location; increasing the square footage or area of the sign face, except by adding a temporary extension meeting certain conditions; adding changeable message capability; or adding lighting to a previously unlit sign. With exceptions, these nonconforming off-property signs are subject to removal, without compensation, if a substantial change is made to the sign or if additional signs are erected. However, under one exception, if DOT considers a change in a sign to be substantial, DOT must give a sign owner notice of the change and if the sign owner removes or eliminates the change within 180 days of the notice then DOT may not remove the sign based on the change. Under another exception, if a nonconforming off-property sign is damaged or destroyed by a criminal or tortious act, the sign may be replaced or repaired. The bill also creates several definitions applicable to these nonconforming off-property signs, including a definition of "customary maintenance."

Who's behind it

3 senators are its ⁠. All 3 are Republicans.

10 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 13 names

Authors (3)

Signed on in support (10)

What happened

  1. Apr 8, 2014

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. May 23, 2013

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs.

  3. May 23, 2013

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. May 23, 2013 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Leibham, Farrow and Tiffany; cosponsored by Representatives Stone, Jacque, Bies, Ripp, Honadel, Thiesfeldt, Ohnstad, Ballweg, A. Ott and Jagler

  2. May 23, 2013 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs

  3. Apr 8, 2014 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary