Agency proposes new billboard rules

The state’s Office of Outdoor Advertising held a public hearing last month on draft regulations intended to update the rules governing state oversight of billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising.

The draft regulations would also allow the state to permit electronic billboards and signs that are currently not allowed.

The proposal to allow state permitting of electronic advertising has been controversial, with some opponents asking that the plan be rejected and that electronic billboards be prohibited.

At the hearing, the MMA asked that the draft regulations be clarified to fully ensure that any state-approved outdoor advertising be consistent with local rules, that there be no state preemption of local bylaws and ordinances, and that city and town officials have an opportunity to weigh in on all applications for state-permitted signs. The MMA also asked that cities and towns be given sufficient notice of any changes to state regulations, including any related to electronic advertising, to allow adequate time for review and update of local bylaws and ordinances, including those that might prohibit electronic billboards.

The Office of Outdoor Advertising, a state agency within the Department of Transportation, has broad authority under state law to regulate billboards and certain other outdoor advertising within the public view of any highway or public park or reservation.

For a copy of the draft regulations, visit www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/Departments/OutdoorAdvertising.aspx.