The dilemma in Detroit: Detroit’s zoning code prohibits large outdoor advertisements in the central business district After years of lax enforcement, the city ordered illegal billboards taken down at end of 2017 New ordinance in the works could change the rules, but it’s unclear how or when These three bullet […]
A three-judge panel heard arguments in a free speech challenge to Washington, DCs’ ban on issue-oriented ads in its transit system. The Archdiocese of Washington sued the Metro system after it rejected a 2017 Christmas-themed campaign that would link to a website encouraging donations to a Catholic charity and church […]
The push to permit digital signs in Indianapolis stalled after Clear Channel Outdoor swapped out of Indianapolis and the Clear Channel Outdoor execs leading the digital push took other jobs. Now WTHR and the Indianapolis Business Journal report that Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett issued a proposal to permit digital billboards. […]
New federal legislation lays out a public-policy rationale for vegetation control on public lands: safety, fire prevention, and protection of electric-power lines. Vegetation-control legislation was included in a massive spending bill signed March 23 by President Trump. The President said he signed the overall bill reluctantly, in order to […]
What should you do if an OSHA inspector shows up at your company or on billboard site? Insider asked Formetco’s director of safety Jim Poague to respond. Be polite. You won’t win by being rude or aggressive. Ask for proof of who they are. A business card or badge is […]
Lamar sued Columbus Grove, OH after the Village Council voted against allowing it to put two billboards in the village. The company wanted to put billboards on State Route 65. It obtained leases from the landlord CSX Transportiation and state permits. The Planning commissioner approved the applications but the council […]
If you put a picture of a New York City billboard on your website and aren’t registered as an out of home company in New York City you may get a summons from the city to register as an out of home advertising company or face a fine of $25,000 […]
Winnipeg Manitoba is considering a $400-450 annual licensing fee for digital billboards to cover “ongoing costs for monitoring and enforcement or the operation and use of the digital sign over its lifespan.” Insider sees a worrisome trend of cities raising taxes and fees on out of home advertisers. We wrote […]
The federal government is supporting the State of Tennessee’s defense of its billboard law as a constitutional regulation that does not violate free speech. On March 5, the US Justice Department filed a friend-of-the-court brief (amicus) in the case Thomas v. Schroer. You can read the brief here. This gesture […]
A Maryland tax judge has upheld the City of Baltimore’s billboard tax, rejecting a constitutional challenge that free speech could be chilled by singling out one medium while not taxing radio, TV, and newspapers. The tax was imposed to raise revenue, “not on the right to disseminate information, ideas or […]
