SB165 Summary: Outdoor Advertising Control Act Amendments

• Clarifies spacing requirements for outdoor advertising signs under the Highway Advertising Control Act of 1972, allowing certain spacing configurations to comply with federal-state agreements without violating spacing regulations.

• Permits the Department of Transportation to approve relocation permits for signs taken by the state at spacing distances less than current requirements, with displaced signs maintaining their original legal status if relocated within the same incorporated area.

• Establishes that sign locations permitted under previous spacing standards remain valid even if they no longer comply with amended spacing requirements, provided all other permitting conditions are met.

• Authorizes the Transportation Commission to establish measurement methodologies for spacing determinations and requires acceptance of previously utilized measurement methods including the straight-line method without penalty to permit holders.

• Grants outdoor advertising permit holders authority to conduct vegetation management activities on public rights-of-way surrounding their signs to ensure visibility, subject to Department-established rules and monitoring requirements.