Need help with an ordinance

outdoor billboard investment forum
1

This is directly taken from city ordinance:

"Advertisement limitations. Outdoor advertising shall be limited to the following:

  1. Travel Service Facilities including lodging, gas, food, camping;
  2. Areas of Scenic Beauty;
  3. Public Attractions including historic, natural scientific or recreational amenities; and
  4. Any combination of the above listed facilities. Further, the content of all advertising shall be directional in nature."

This pretty much kills viability of building the sign in this city, right?

2

Not necessarily. They are allowing basically any advertiser in their town (or down the road) that would appeal to a tourist. That would include any hotel, restaurant, gas station, truck stop, amusement park, museum, etc. Even a bank, possibly, because of its ATM machine. That’s probably just about all the advertisers in town who would want a billboard anyway (excluding maybe car dealers, etc.). So I don’t think it’s that bad an ordinance. But get with the city and confirm exactly which advertisers in town (and out of town) that would be excluded.

3

Thank you!

4

Hi Frank,

I did more research and drove around that city over the weekend. It has a ton of billboards and advertisers are: restaurants, attorneys, retail shops, hospitals, plumbing company, and everything else you can think of.

So, what am I missing?

Thank you much

5

Ask the city. Either they have a liberal use of the concept of “directional” or the signs you saw are “grandfathered” and not subject to the current ordinance.

6

You were right.

Turns out the city has old ordinance on their website!