Seattle may have a ban on digital billboards but Seattle Mag reports that a building at fourth and union is testing the limits of the city’s sign ordinance. The building is owned by Ann and Danny Schnitzer. Ann Schnitzer is the registered agent of Sun Outdoor and Danny […]
Legal
Progress in Wisconsin on Billboard Maintenance
By Kerry Yoakum In an important victory, Wisconsin has clarified repair and maintenance standards for nonconforming billboards, which comprise more than half of the billboard inventory in the state. On April 16, Governor Scott Walker signed legislation supported by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Wisconsin, led by executive director Kathi […]
Why Congress Wants to Get Rid of the Bonus Act
By Kerry Yoakum, Vice President of Government Affairs, OAAA Illinois’ Department of Transportation has asked a home-state congressman to change federal law to allow states to exit the Fifties-era “Bonus Program” without penalty. The Bonus Act, a precursor to the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, provided federal incentive money to […]
Cato Calls Billboard Law Unconstitutional
The Cato Institute and other conservative think tanks are supporting the legal attack on billboard law as unconstitutional infringement on free speech. Cato, based in Washington, DC, filed an amicus brief on April 10 in a case called Thomas v. Schroer, which challenges Tennessee’s billboard controls. “Tennessee’s statutory and regulatory […]
Just Compensation Win in Oregon
By Chris Zukin, President, Meadow Outdoor Advertising, Dalles, OR Governor Kate Brown signed long-sought legislation April 10th , 2018 to protect billboards from un-compensated government taking. In the past, the state paid only salvage value. The new law requires the state to pay full compensation for loss of an outdoor […]
Adams Makes Pitch for Bethlehem Billboard
The Morning Call reports that Adams presented the case for a 616 square foot digital sign along the Hill to Hill bridge in Bethlehem during a three hour hearing in front of the Bethlehem Zoning Hearing board. Adams wants a variance to: construct a 616 square foot sign versus a […]
Texas Court Moots Auspro Challenge
By Richard Rothfelder, Rothfelder and Falick Introduction On April 6, 2018, the Texas Supreme Court granted TxDOT’s Petition for Review and without hearing oral argument, issuing a formal opinion, or considering the merits of the case, vacated the judgments of the Court of Appeals and trial court (which ruled the […]
County Looking at Billboards As Revenue Source
Thirteen Luzerne County, PA owned parcels have been picked as possible sites for new billboards to generate revenue, according to a listing up for discussion at an upcoming county council real estate committee meeting. The Times Leader is reporting that the idea originally came from the county’s financial consultant who […]
Thomas v Schroer brief filed
Billboard law is unconstitutional because it treats roadside billboards differently than on-site business signs — based on content — says a plaintiff challenging Tennessee’s Billboard Act. “The law cannot function without evaluating a message’s meaning,” and thus runs afoul of a 2015 Supreme Court ruling against sign regulation based on […]
Epic Outdoor Has A Settlement in Rapid City
Insider has followed Epic Outdoors’ lawsuits and negotiations over sign regulation in Rapid City South Dakota. Those disputes have been ongoing since 2005 but started in earnest in 2012 when Epic Outdoor filed suit against the City based on a revised sign ordinance which was adopted in 2011. Epic thought the […]