Chapter 5516 | Advertising On Interstate Highways

Section 5516.01 | Advertising on interstate highway definitions.

• Effective: June 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly

As used in sections 5516.01 to 5516.14 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Advertising device" includes any outdoor sign, display, device, figure, painting, drawing, message, placard, poster, billboard, or any other contrivance that is owned or operated by a person or entity that earns compensation for the placement of a message on it and is visible from the main traveled way of any highway on the interstate system or primary system in this state.

(B) "Visible" means capable of being seen and comprehended without visual aid by a person traveling the posted speed limit on the main traveled way of the highway.

(C) "Interstate system" means that portion of the interstate system, or the national highway system, located within this state.

(D) "Erect" means to construct or allow to be constructed, but it shall not include any activity when performed as an incident to the change of advertising message or normal maintenance of a sign or sign structure.

(E) "Maintain" means to preserve, keep in repair, continue, allow to exist, or restore.

(F) "National policy" means the provisions of 23 U.S.C.A. 131 and the national standards, criteria, and rules promulgated pursuant to such provisions.

(G) "Primary system" means the federal-aid primary system in existence on June 1, 1991, and any highway that is not on such system but that is on the national highway system.

(H) "Zoned commercial or industrial areas" means those nonagricultural areas which are reserved for business, commerce, or trade, pursuant to local zoning laws, regulations, or state laws.

(I) "Unzoned commercial or industrial area" means an area not zoned by state or local law, regulation, or ordinance, in which there is located one or more commercial or industrial activities. Such area may also include the lands along the highway for a distance of eight hundred fifty feet immediately adjacent to such activities. This distance shall be measured from the buildings, parking lots, storage or processing areas of the activities, and along or parallel to the near edge of the main traveled way of the highway. This distance shall not include land on the opposite side of the highway from such activities, nor land predominantly used for residential purposes. An area shall be considered predominately residential if fifty per cent or more of the eight hundred fifty feet immediately adjacent to the activities contains land used as residential property. Each side of the highway will be considered separately in applying this definition.

(J) "Commercial or industrial activities" means those activities generally recognized as commercial or industrial by zoning authorities of this state. The following activities shall not be considered commercial or industrial:

(1) Activities relating to advertising structures;

(2) Agricultural, forestry, ranching, grazing, farming, and related activities, including, but not limited to, activities relating to wayside fresh produce stands;

(3) Transient or temporary activities;

(4) Activities not visible from the main traveled way;

(5) Activities located more than six hundred sixty feet from the nearest edge of the right-of-way;

(6) Activities conducted in a building principally used as a residence;

(7) Activities relating to railroad tracks and minor sidings;

(8) Activities relating to highways, roads, and streets.

(K) "Directional and official signs and notices" means those signs and notices that are required or authorized by law and conform to the rules for such signs and notices as adopted by the director in accordance with 23 C.F.R. 750.151 to 750.155.

(L) "Nonconforming advertising device" means an advertising device that was:

(1) Lawfully in existence prior to December 7, 1971;

(2) Lawfully on any highway made a part of the interstate system or primary highway system on or after December 7, 1971;

(3) Lawfully erected prior to any revision in the law effective December 7, 1971; or

(4) Lawfully erected but:

(a) No longer in compliance with the provisions of state law enacted or rules adopted at a later date; or

(b) No longer in compliance with state laws or rules due to changed conditions, including, but not limited to, zoning changes, highway relocation, highway reclassification, or changes in restrictions on sizing, lighting, spacing, or distance of advertising devices.

Illegally erected or maintained advertising devices are not nonconforming signs.

(M) "Scenic byway" means any linear transportation corridor as designated or as may hereafter be so designated by the director under the Ohio scenic byways program as having outstanding scenic qualities.

(N) "Director" means the director of the Ohio department of transportation.

(O) "Commercial or industrial zone" means those areas established by any state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority as being most appropriate for business, commerce, industry, or trade. Any action taken by a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority that is not part of comprehensive zoning and is created primarily to permit outdoor advertising devices shall not be considered a commercial or industrial zone for purposes of this chapter.

(P) "Last permit holder" includes any of the following:

(1) The most recent holder of the advertising device permit;

(2) A business, cooperative, corporation, enterprise, joint venture, limited liability company, partnership, sole proprietorship, or subsidiary, the viability of which is dependent on its relationship with the most recent holder of the advertising device permit;

(3) Any person or entity that is closely related to or closely connected with the most recent holder of the advertising device permit.

(Q) "Professional sports facility" means all or a portion of a stadium, arena, motorsports complex, or other facility, including all parking facilities, walkways, and other auxiliary facilities that may be used for or in connection with the sports facility or its operation, the primary purpose of which is to provide a site or venue for the presentation to the public of either of the following:

(1) Events of one or more major or minor league professional athletic or sports teams that are associated with the state or with a city or region of the state;

(2) Motorsports events.

(R) "Compensation" means the exchange of anything of value including money, securities, real property interests, goods, services, a promise of future payment, or forbearance of a debt.

Last updated May 4, 2021 at 12:50 PM

Section 5516.02 | Limiting advertising devices along interstate highways.

• Effective: June 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly

No advertising device shall be erected or maintained within six hundred sixty feet of the edge of the right-of-way of a highway on the interstate system except the following:

(A) Advertising devices that are located in commercial or industrial zones traversed by segments of the interstate system within the boundaries of a municipal corporation as such boundaries existed on September 21, 1959, and that conform to rules adopted by the director of transportation;

(B) Advertising devices that are located on the premises of a professional sports facility and that conform to rules adopted by the director.

Last updated April 12, 2021 at 9:56 AM

Section 5516.03 | Rules for outdoor advertising.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

The director of transportation shall adopt, amend, and enforce rules, consistent with the customary use of outdoor advertising, the safety of the traveling public, and national policy as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. Such rules may include, but shall not be limited to, sizing, lighting, spacing, and such other conditions as may be necessary to promote the safety of the traveling public and effect the national policy. The rules shall be in addition to the provisions of municipal ordinances regulating advertising devices and shall not invalidate the provisions of any municipal ordinance that are equivalent to and consistent with the rules adopted by the director under this section. The director shall furnish a copy of such rules, without charge, to any person making a request therefor.

Section 5516.04 | Orders to remove and take remedial action for violating advertising devices.

• Effective: September 16, 2004
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 230 - 125th General Assembly

(A) Any advertising device that violates section 5516.02, 5516.06, 5516.061, or 5516.062 of the Revised Code or the rules adopted thereunder, or that is being maintained without a validly issued permit, is a public and private nuisance, and shall be removed. Immediately upon discovering the existence of such a nuisance, the director of transportation shall issue an order to the owner or lessee of the land on which such advertising device is located, and to the owner of such advertising device, if known, to remove the device or to initiate any remedial action specified in the order, within thirty days of the issuance of the order. The order shall be in writing and shall be sent by certified mail. If the owner of the advertising device is unknown, the director shall make a reasonable attempt to ascertain the identity of such owner.

If such owner cannot be determined or the certified mail is not claimed, the director may post a copy of the order in a conspicuous place on the advertising device.

If removal or remediation is not completed within thirty days of the date of the order, the director immediately may remove the sign without further notice or may file for an injunction or other appropriate relief in a civil action for abatement in the court of common pleas of the county in which the advertising device is located. A copy of the complaint shall be served upon the owner or lessee of the land and the owner of the device, if known, in accordance with the Rules of Civil Procedure. If certified mail service, personal service, or residence service of the complaint is refused, or certified mail service is not claimed and the director has made a request for ordinary mail service of the complaint, or has used publication service in accordance with the Rules of Civil Procedure, then a copy of the complaint shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the advertising device.

The court in a civil action for abatement shall conduct a hearing at least twenty-eight days after service of the complaint on the owner of the advertising device and the owner or lessee of the land. If the court finds at the hearing that a violation of sections 5516.02 to 5516.04 of the Revised Code exists as alleged in the complaint and also finds that the owner of the advertising device or the owner or lessee of the land has been afforded an opportunity to abate the nuisance but has refused or failed to do so, the court may issue an injunction requiring the owner of the advertising device or the owner or lessee of the land to abate the nuisance or may issue any other order that it considers necessary or appropriate to cause the abatement of the public nuisance. If an injunction is issued pursuant to this section, the owner of the advertising device or the owner or lessee of the land shall be given no more than thirty days from the date of the entry of the court's order to comply with the injunction, unless the court, for good cause shown, extends the time for compliance. The judge in any civil action described in this section, or the judge's successor in office, has continuing jurisdiction to review the condition of any advertising device that was determined to be a public nuisance pursuant to this section.

(B) If the department removes an advertising device pursuant to an order of the director, the cost or expense of such removal shall be paid by the director out of any appropriation of the department of transportation available for the establishment, use, maintenance, or repair of highways, and the amount thereof shall be certified to the attorney general for collection by civil action against the device owner or the owner or lessee of the land on which such advertising device is located. Such owners and lessees shall be jointly liable for such costs or expenses.

(C) Employees, agents, or independent contractors of the department of transportation may enter upon private property for the purpose of removing advertising devices in accordance with this section, without incurring any liability for so entering.

Section 5516.05 | Designation of scenic byways - advertising devices.

• Effective: June 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly

(A) The director of transportation may designate any portion of any of the following as a scenic byway:

(1) The interstate system;

(2) The national highway system;

(3) The primary system;

(4) Any state, county, municipal, or township road or highway.

(B) The director shall exclude from designation as a scenic byway any segment of a highway in a zoned or unzoned commercial or industrial area that is determined by the director to be inconsistent with the designation of a scenic byway.

(C) No advertising device may be erected upon a designated scenic byway, except in accordance with division (A) or (B) of section 5516.02 of the Revised Code, division (A), (B), or (C) of section 5516.06 of the Revised Code, or division (A) of section 5516.061 of the Revised Code. Any advertising device lawfully in existence prior to the designation of a scenic byway, upon such designation, is a nonconforming advertising device under section 5516.07 of the Revised Code.

Last updated April 12, 2021 at 9:56 AM

Section 5516.06 | Requirements for advertising devices along state primary highways.

• Effective: June 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly

No advertising device shall be erected or maintained within six hundred sixty feet of the edge of the right-of-way of a highway on the primary system except the following:

(A) Advertising devices located in zoned or unzoned industrial or commercial areas adjacent to highways on the primary system that conform to rules adopted by the director of transportation;

(B) Signs lawfully in existence on October 22, 1965, that the director, subject to the approval of the secretary of the United States department of transportation, has determined to be landmark signs, including signs on farm structures or natural surfaces, which are of historic or artistic significance;

(C) Advertising devices that are located on the premises of a professional sports facility and that conform to rules adopted by the director.

Last updated April 12, 2021 at 10:12 AM

Section 5516.061 | Requirements for advertising devices outside urban areas.

• Effective: June 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly

(A) No advertising device shall be erected outside of urban areas further than six hundred sixty feet from the right-of-way of the main traveled way of a highway on the interstate or primary system if such device would be visible from such main traveled way, except signs lawfully in existence on October 22, 1965, that the director of transportation, subject to the approval of the secretary of the United States department of transportation, has determined to be landmark signs, including signs on farm structures or natural surfaces that are of historic or artistic significance.

(B) Any advertising device lawfully in existence prior to November 28, 1975, or lawfully on any highway made a part of the interstate or primary system on or after that date, the erection of which would be illegal under this section, is nonconforming, and may be maintained subject to the permit provisions of section 5516.10 of the Revised Code. An advertising device existing prior to September 16, 2004, which would be illegal under this section shall be considered a nonconforming advertising device and may be maintained subject to the permit provisions of section 5516.10 of the Revised Code.

(C) As used in this section, "urban area" means an urbanized area or an urban place as designated by the bureau of the census having a population of five thousand or more, and within boundaries approved by the United States secretary of transportation.

Last updated April 12, 2021 at 10:14 AM

Section 5516.062 | Prohibiting advertising devices outside urban areas without permit.

• Effective: September 16, 2004
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 230 - 125th General Assembly

(A) No person shall erect, use, maintain, operate, construct, or cause or permit to be erected, used, maintained, operated, or constructed any advertising device that is located both inside an urban area, as defined by section 5516.061 of the Revised Code, and outside the boundaries of a municipal corporation as such boundaries existed on September 21, 1959, without first obtaining a permit and permit plates from the director of transportation pursuant to section 5516.10 of the Revised Code.

(B) An advertising device existing prior to the effective date of this section which would be illegal under this section shall be considered a nonconforming advertising device and may be maintained subject to the permit provisions of section 5516.10 of the Revised Code.

Section 5516.07 | Nonconforming advertising devices.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

All nonconforming advertising devices shall be maintained, subject to the provisions of sections 5516.10 and 5516.12 of the Revised Code.

A nonconforming advertising device found to be in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or the rules adopted thereunder may be subject to removal without compensation. A nonconforming advertising device may be sold, leased, or otherwise transferred without affecting its status, but its location may not be changed. The director may adopt rules regarding the repair or maintenance of, or changes to, nonconforming advertising devices, including the size, lighting, replacement, rebuilding, or re-erection of the structure, and damage or depreciation of the nonconforming advertising device.

Section 5516.08 | Eminent domain actions against nonconforming devices.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

(A) The director of transportation, or a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority, may order the removal of nonconforming advertising devices that are lawfully maintained pursuant to section 5516.07 of the Revised Code, or under a zoning ordinance or regulation. Each such removal ordered by the director or zoning authority shall be deemed to constitute a taking of all right, title, and interest in such advertising device, including any leasehold interest, of the owner of the advertising device and of the right of the owner of the real property on which the advertising device is located to erect and maintain such advertising device thereon. The director or zoning authority shall pay just compensation for all such interests in any such taking, in the same manner as other property is acquired pursuant to Chapter 163. of the Revised Code, notwithstanding the right or obligation of the owner of such advertising device, as against the owner of the real property on which the advertising device is located, to remove such device at any time. The director, or a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority is authorized to acquire by gift, purchase, or appropriation, devices ordered removed under this section.

If the director or zoning authority and any such owner of a compensable right or interest under this section do not reach agreement as to the amount of compensation to be paid for the taking of such right or interest, the director or zoning authority shall institute an action to appropriate the interest of such person in accordance with Chapter 163. of the Revised Code. In any such action, loss of business shall not be considered an item of compensable damages.

Neither the director nor a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority shall enter upon any property to cause the physical removal of any nonconforming advertising device, for which an owner is entitled to just compensation, until the owner and the director or zoning authority have reached agreement as to the compensation to be paid or until the compensation proposed to be paid by the director or zoning authority has been deposited pursuant to section 163.06 of the Revised Code.

(B) The director shall not order the removal of any advertising device for which federal reimbursement is contemplated pursuant to 23 U.S.C.A. 131(g), nor approve any application for reimbursement made under division (C) of this section, unless and until federal funds for the federal share of compensation therefor have been appropriated by the federal government and made available to the director for such purposes. The director shall provide by rule for the making of reimbursements to state, county, municipal, and other local zoning authorities for the removal of nonconforming advertising devices for which federal reimbursement is contemplated.

(C) No state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority shall be reimbursed by the director for the removal of any nonconforming advertising device as provided in this section unless the zoning authority, prior to such removal, makes application for reimbursement to the director and the director approves the application. The application shall include such information as the director requires by rule.

Section 5516.09 | Use of right-of-way.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

Unless otherwise provided by law, both of the following are prohibited:

(A) The use of the right-of-way of a limited access highway for construction, maintenance, or copy change of a lawful advertising device;

(B) The use of the right-of-way of any highway other than a limited access highway to construct, maintain, or service a lawful advertising device without the written permission of the appropriate district office of the department of transportation.

Section 5516.10 | Permits and permit plates - application process.

• Effective: September 16, 2004
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 230 - 125th General Assembly

(A) No person shall do either of the following without first obtaining a permit and permit plates from the director of transportation:

(1) Erect, use, maintain, operate, construct, or cause or permit to be erected, used, maintained, operated, or constructed, any advertising device located in either of the following:

(a) Commercial or industrial zones traversed by segments of the interstate system within the boundaries of a municipal corporation as such boundaries existed on September 21, 1959;

(b) Zoned or unzoned industrial or commercial areas adjacent to highways on the primary system.

(2) Maintain any nonconforming advertising device.

(B) Applications for such a permit shall be made on forms prescribed by the director, and a separate application shall be submitted for each sign face. The director shall adopt rules setting forth the requirements for completion of the application process and the issuance of permits consistent with this section.

(1) As part of the application process, the director may require an acknowledgment to be signed by the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the proposed location of the advertising device. Such acknowledgment may include, but shall not be limited to, a statement that the applicant has the right to occupy the land at the subject location, that if at any time removal is required, the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the location may be jointly liable, and that the applicant may only occupy the land for a specified time period. If legal use of the location is terminated at any time during the permit period, the permit is subject to cancellation pursuant to section 5516.12 of the Revised Code.

(2) As part of the application process, the director may require an applicant or the applicant's authorized representative to certify in a notarized signed statement that the applicant has not knowingly provided materially false, misleading, or inaccurate information.

(3) Each application shall be accompanied by the appropriate application fee as set forth in the fee schedule established by the director. Such fee schedule shall be based on the reasonable cost of administering and processing such permits. Application fees shall be nonrefundable.

(4) Applications for permits shall be disapproved and permits shall not be issued under any of the following conditions:

(a) The proposed location for an advertising device is not visible from the main traveled portion of the highway due to existing landscaping on the right-of-way of any highway.

(b) The advertising device can be erected or maintained only from the right-of-way of an interstate or primary highway system.

(c) The proposed location for the advertising device is on land that is used principally as a residence.

(d) The advertising device is erected or maintained on trees, or painted or drawn upon rocks or other natural features.

(e) The advertising device would be a traffic hazard or a danger to the safety of the traveling public.

(f) The advertising device would prevent the driver of a motor vehicle from having a clear and unobstructed view of official signs and approaching or merging traffic.

(g) The advertising device is illuminated so as to interfere with the effectiveness of an official sign, signal, or other traffic control device.

(h) The advertising device attempts, or appears to attempt, to direct the movement of traffic, or interferes with, imitates, or resembles an official sign, signal, or other traffic control device.

(C) The issuance of a permit under this section shall not be construed to invalidate municipal ordinances requiring a permit or license or providing for an inspection fee for advertising devices, or regulating such advertising devices. The cost of the application fee for such permits or licenses issued, or the cost of initial inspection fees charged under municipal ordinances shall be credited against and shall reduce the cost of the permit issued by the director under this section. If a permit is issued by a zoning authority pursuant to its ordinances, rules, or regulations controlling outdoor advertising devices, a copy thereof shall be furnished to the director with any application for a new permit required by this section or within thirty days of its issuance by a zoning authority.

(D) Where an application is submitted for the erection, use, maintenance, operation, or construction of an advertising device, the director may conditionally approve such application as to location only, and final approval shall remain pending until the advertising device is erected, used, maintained, or constructed or becomes operational. Upon notification by the permit applicant that the erection, use, maintenance, construction, or operation of the advertising device is completed, the director shall verify that the advertising device complies with the terms and conditions of the conditional permit. Upon verification of compliance with the terms and conditions of the conditional permit, the director may approve and issue a permit and permit plates, which shall be securely and permanently attached in the corner of the face of the advertising device nearest to the highway in such a manner as to be visible from the main traveled way of the interstate or primary highway system. Replacement plates may be issued upon request and upon the payment of a replacement fee to be determined by the director.

(E) All permits issued pursuant to this section shall be in effect for a period of two years. Permits may be renewed upon application made on forms designated by the director and upon the payment of a nonrefundable renewal fee in an amount to be determined by the director based on the reasonable cost of administering and processing such renewal permits. Any permits that are not renewed, and any permit plates issued in connection with such permits, shall be returned to the director for cancellation by the expiration date. The director may adopt rules for the reinstatement of permits canceled as a result of nonpayment of renewal fees, and shall develop a fee schedule for late renewals.

(F)(1) Where the director conditionally approves the issuance of a permit as to location only and the permit applicant fails to construct, erect, use, operate, or maintain an advertising device within the period for which the permit was issued, such permit shall not be renewed unless a renewal fee is paid to extend the privilege for one additional permit period. No conditional permit shall be renewed and no extensions shall be granted after the second renewal period.

(2) A last permit holder's application for a permit shall not be accepted until a permit issued pursuant to division (F)(1) of this section has expired for a period of six months, commencing from the expiration date, for any of the following locations:

(a) The expired location;

(b) A location within five hundred feet of the expired location on an interstate highway, a primary highway outside a municipal corporation, or a freeway inside a municipal corporation;

(c) A location within two hundred fifty feet of the expired location on any other primary highway inside a municipal corporation.

The director shall process written applications in the order in which they are received.

(G) Permits for advertising devices erected and maintained with a valid permit issued before July 1, 1997, may be renewed unless the director finds that the permit application contains materially false, misleading, or inaccurate information or the sign has been erected or maintained contrary to this chapter or the rules adopted thereunder, and in such event the director may take appropriate action pursuant to section 5516.12 of the Revised Code. An applicant who has a conditional permit issued by the director before June 30, 1997, and who has not yet exercised the privilege of constructing, using, operating, erecting, or maintaining an advertising device at the proposed location as of that date, shall have until December 31, 1997, to comply with the terms and conditions of the conditional permit or such permit shall be canceled. However, the applicant may request that the conditional permit be renewed by submitting a renewal application and paying a nonrefundable renewal fee to extend the privilege for one additional permit period.

(H) Permits may be transferred from one sign owner to another upon written acknowledgment from the current permittee and the payment of a transfer fee in an amount to be determined by the director for each permit to be transferred. The new permit holder is subject to all the terms and conditions of the prior permit holder and shall be subject to this chapter and the rules adopted thereunder.

(I) No person shall submit an application for an advertising device permit where the proposed location is adjacent to a proposed project on the interstate or primary system and the proposed location for the device would be illegal under this chapter upon completion of the project.

(J) Any permit issued by the director under this chapter or the rules adopted under it, is the property of the permit holder. Upon the sale of an advertising device, a permit issued under this section continues in effect for the period established under division (E) of this section.

Section 5516.11 | Regulation of advertising devices through zoning rules and regulations.

• Effective: June 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 74 - 134th General Assembly

This chapter does not affect the authority of a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority to zone areas for commercial or industrial purposes under its respective zoning laws. Whenever a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority has adopted comprehensive zoning and established rules and regulations controlling the size, lighting, and spacing of outdoor advertising devices, that are equivalent to and consistent with the intent of this chapter, such rules and regulations will be accepted in lieu of the controls provided in division (A) of section 5516.02 and in section 5516.061 of the Revised Code in the commercial and industrial zones within the geographical jurisdiction of such authority.

Whenever a zoning authority establishes new comprehensive zoning rules or regulations, a copy thereof shall be furnished to the director of transportation within thirty days after its passage.

Chapter 5516. of the Revised Code shall not be construed to allow the erection of an advertising device in an area zoned by state, county, municipal, or other local authorities to exclude such devices.

Last updated April 12, 2021 at 10:14 AM

Section 5516.12 | Disapproving, cancelling, or revoking permits.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

The director of transportation may disapprove, cancel, or revoke any permit requested or issued under this chapter if the director determines any of the following:

(A) That the application for the permit contains materially false, misleading, or inaccurate information;

(B) An advertising device has been erected or maintained contrary to the terms and conditions of the permit;

(C) The required fee has not been paid;

(D) That the location does not conform to the laws and rules of the state;

(E) That any other provisions of this chapter or the rules adopted thereunder have been violated.

The director shall give thirty days' notice, by certified mail, to the owner or lessee of the land on which such advertising device is located and to the owner of such advertising device, if known. If the owner of such advertising device is unknown, the director shall make a reasonable attempt to ascertain the identity of such owner.

Such notice may specify any remedial action that is required to correct any false or misleading information or other violation of this chapter and advise that failure to take the remedial action within thirty days may result in denial, cancellation, or revocation of the permit and removal of the advertising device. The written notice shall further state that the applicant, or owner of the advertising device, or the owner or lessee of the land on which the advertising device is located, has a right to an adjudication hearing pursuant to section 119.06 of the Revised Code, which request must be filed with the director within thirty days after the receipt of the written notice. If a hearing is requested, it shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of sections 119.01 to 119.13 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted by the director establishing procedures for such hearings.

Upon the expiration of the thirty days' notice, if no request for an adjudication hearing has been filed with the director, the director may declare the advertising device to be a public and private nuisance and order its removal. Removal of the advertising device shall proceed in accordance with divisions (B) and (C) of section 5516.04 of the Revised Code.

Section 5516.13 | Administering chapter.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

The director of transportation shall exercise the powers and perform the duties delegated to the director by sections 5516.02 to 5516.14 of the Revised Code, in accordance with rules the director shall adopt under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

Section 5516.14 | Application for vegetation permit.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

The director may issue a permit to any sign owner who has a lawful permit issued pursuant to section 5516.10 of the Revised Code to remove, cut, and trim vegetation located on the right-of-way of any highway of the interstate or primary system adjacent to the permitted advertising device and replace the same as directed, whenever such vegetation prevents clear visibility from the main traveled way of such highway. The director shall adopt rules for the enforcement of this section. The rules may include requirements for appropriate vehicle identification signage, appropriate bond or insurance, distance limits, and any other conditions as may be required by the director.

An application for a vegetation permit shall be made on forms designated by the director and a separate application must be submitted for each sign face. Each application shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee in an amount to be determined by the director. Permits issued hereunder shall run for a period of one year and may be renewed upon application made upon forms prescribed by the director and upon the payment of a nonrefundable renewal fee in an amount to be determined by the director. Any permits that are not renewed shall be returned to the director for cancellation by the expiration date.

The director may modify any vegetation permit as is considered necessary for the safety of the traveling public. The director may revoke, cancel, or disapprove a permit or an application pursuant to section 5516.12 of the Revised Code for any violation of this section or the rules adopted thereunder.

Section 5516.15 | Disposition of fees.

• Effective: January 1, 2018
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 26 - 132nd General Assembly

Any fees or fines collected under this chapter shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the highway operating fund created in section 5735.051 of the Revised Code to be used by the director of transportation solely for purposes of enforcing and administering the requirements established under this chapter.

Section 5516.20 | Tourism development district interstate signage; lighting.

• Effective: September 29, 2017
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly

A sign may be displayed adjacent to an interstate highway system that uses light-emitting diode lighting if the sign is located within the boundaries of a tourism development district designated by a township under section 503.56 of the Revised Code or a municipal corporation under section 715.014 of the Revised Code except to the extent limited or prohibited by this chapter, any rule adopted under this chapter, or any zoning regulation adopted by a county, municipal corporation, or other local zoning authority with jurisdiction.

Section 5516.99 | Penalty.

• Effective: June 30, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 210 - 122nd General Assembly

Whoever erects or maintains an advertising device in violation of sections 5516.01 to 5516.14 of the Revised Code, or rules adopted thereunder, shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five thousand dollars.