A closer look at the regulations towards outdoor advertising from state to state.
By TAYLOR DAVIS and ALYSSA WOLLARD
Storified by ·
Fri, Jun 29 2012 12:30:42
Outdoor advertising has been a tactic used by companies across the country as a way to reach their target consumers for several decades. However, in the past few years there have been many differing opinions as to whether or not outdoor advertising has gotten out of hand, be it offensive language or crude humor used in the ads, or even the amount of billboards in general that are out there cluttering our road ways. Companies continue to come up with new ad campaigns everyday while our government simultaneously tries to regulate the industry. This storify campaign will hopefully give you a better insight of the industry as a whole and the regulations surrounding it. It also will take a look at the First Amendment issues that have began to come about as advertising companies come up with more and more opportunities to promote their products. We hope it will bring awareness as to how ever present and in-your-face the advertising industry is today.
Outdoor Advertising is regulated on a Federal level as well as monitored on a state level. The first attempt by our government to control outdoor advertising was the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1958. Among other things, this was their attempt to control signs adjacent to highways stating that they had control of signs within 660 feet of the Interstate. The Act only allowed certain signs to be hung including directional and official signs, on-premise signs, signs within 12 air miles of the advertised activity, and signs in the specific interest of the traveling public, i.e. historic sites, natural phenomena, naturally suited for outdoor recreation, and places for camping, lodging, eating and vehicle and service repair.
On October 22, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act. This Act sets forth the basic program objectives stating, “The erection and maintenance of outdoor advertising signs, displays, and devices in areas adjacent to the Interstate System and the primary system should be controlled in order to protect the public investment in such highways, to promote the safety and recreational value of public travel, and to preserve natural beauty.” This Act was just a step forward from the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1958 that focused more on the outward impression left by these billboards, signs and other distractions along our interstates.
Jump forward many years and several Federal-Aid Highway Acts later to 1991, when President Bush signed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act into law. This Act had a large impact on our roadway’s appearance, establishing a “new vision for surface transportation in America.” Some of the highlights of this Act was the requirement for removal of illegal signs, the prohibition of new signs on designated scenic byways, and included several provisions concerning the control of outdoor advertising. The law stated that states could now used their regularly apportioned highway funds for removal of any lawfully erected nonconforming outdoor advertising sign, display, or device. These controls were applied to the Interstate System and roads that were on the Federal-aid Primary System. For a more in depth look at the Federal Outdoor Advertising Control Program, take a look at the like below.
Just like many other aspects of our federal government’s oversights, the specific regulations towards Outdoor Advertising vary from state to state. To get an idea of some of the various aspects that the states monitor, we’ll take a closer look at our great state of Missouri’s regulations.
![Tough billboard regulations]()
Tough billboard regulationsIntro: The Federal Highway Administration ruled that electronic billboards are legal nationally, but Missouri's tough billboard regulatio...
Missouri State regulations on outdoor advertising
The
“Show-Me” state of Missouri surprisingly has very few regulations on outdoor
advertising. However, here are a few guidelines that the Missouri Department of
Transportation has come up with a few regulations to follow. Each location on
Missouri highways needs approval by a right-of-way director. Unzoned commercial
or industrial areas have designated sections under which regulations are
stated. As far as spacing, each sign must be at least 2,000 feet away from an
intersection along the interstate or highway, and cannot be located within
2,000 feet of a rest area, park, or scenic area. Signs facing the same
direction of travel have be at least one mile apart. Size cannot exceed
thirty-two feet in area.
No sign may display anything illegally by state and
federal law and cannot interfere with the driver’s view in any way, shape, or
form. With that being said, no signs with illumination in the form of flashing
or moving lights are permitted. The commission determined what attractions or
activities fall under the guidelines of being limited to public placed owned
and operated by federal, state, or local government agencies.
If a privately
owned activity or business is being advertised, they have to be specially
approved by the commission to be nationally or regionally known and of
outstanding interest to the traveling public. This approval process is done
through petitioning the commission to approve your attraction or activity with
a detailed description and written consent or approval by the federal, state,
or local political entity that has legal authority over the activity or
attraction. If everything is present in the application, the commission has the
option of requesting a public hearing to aid them in making a decision in the
approval of the signage. If the commission does not approve a sign, the owner
of the structure will remove the advertising message within 30 days of the date
of filing.
ADD TRANSITION Outdoor advertising is a huge industry and provides tons of outlets for companies to reach their consumers. According to a Universal McCann study on total spending, companies spend on average only 4.4% of their advertising budget on outdoor advertising, making it by far the cheapest form around. Billboards and other outdoor signage should also be utilized because they reach nearly every American. The plethora of outdoor media formats that can be utilized today gives advertisers endless possibilities towards reaching their consumers. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, outdoor media falls into four different categories:
1. Billboards – standardized large format advertising displays intended for viewing from extended distances, generally more than 50 feet away.
There are endless examples of good billboard advertisements, but below are some of our favorites.
Breaking away from the basic bulletin style billboard are digital billboards, which have became very popular of late. Goodyear, AZ is just one of the many towns across the country enticed by the idea of ad revenue from them.
People have even taken note to the idea that outdoor digital advertising might even be better for the environment.
![Is Outdoor Digital Signage Green?]()
Is Outdoor Digital Signage Green?With the threat of climate change more and more businesses are taking environmental issues quite seriously. No longer is 'eco' a ter...
I think it’s safe to say that billboards are the first thing that one thinks of when they think of outdoor advertising. When we were researching, we found a great blog taking a look at some of the best outdoor campaigns and marketing ideas over the last 150 years. We thought this took a great look at the history of billboards.
2. Street Furniture – advertising displays, many that provide amenity, positioned in close proximity to pedestrians and shoppers for eye-level viewing, or at curbside to influence vehicular traffic
Street Furniture takes form in many different ways, from store front displays to park bench ads. Here’s a look at some examples that really raised the bar from their competitors.
![KitKat Bench: Outdoor Advertising]()
KitKat Bench: Outdoor AdvertisingGreat urban outdoor advertising by Kit Kat: Have a break have a Kit Kat (bench) Agency: JWT, London Here's another cool KitKat bench:
3. Transit – advertising displays affixed to moving vehicles or
positioned in common areas of transit stations, terminals and airports.
Today, there are many
advertising agencies that specialized in bus advertising, including Blue Line
Media (BLM). This agency offers local and national advertisements that produce
high impressions at a low Cost Per Medium (CPM). Bus advertisements are a great
medium to reach your target market because they present a 360 degree view of
the ad and well as constant mobility, expanding the ad exposure. Here is a look
at some of the great ads that BLM has created in the past.
