H578 Summary

• Increases selective vegetation removal permit fees to $600 for the initial three-year period and $200 for subsequent three-year renewal periods, and extends permit validity from one year to three years.

• Establishes a fixed monetary value of $45.00 per caliper inch for tree removal reimbursement, replacing the previous annual determination system based on commercial nursery prices and Department contracts.

• Adds new definitions to outdoor advertising regulations including "cross read face," "direct read face," and "viewing edge of the sign" to clarify standards for vegetation removal zones around advertising signs.

• Modifies the vegetation removal zones for direct read and cross read sign faces, allowing removal in different areas based on sign orientation, and permits relocation and replacement of native dogwoods and redbuds within 2,500 feet of the sign structure.

• Allows selective vegetation removal permits for relocated outdoor advertising signs without the standard two-year waiting period and requires the Department of Transportation to adopt implementing rules within six months using expedited rulemaking procedures.