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Bill to expand billboard spacing, ban stacked structures fails in committee after industry opposition
Summary
House Concurrent Resolution 3 would have increased spacing between billboards on state highways to 1,000 feet and prohibited stacked billboards. After testimony from outdoor advertisers warning of impacts on small businesses and property owners, the committee vote was 5–6 against reporting the resolution favorably.
House Concurrent Resolution 3, which would have amended Department of Transportation and Development rules to increase billboard spacing on state highways from 100–500 feet to 1,000 feet and to prohibit stacked billboards, failed to pass the House Transportation Committee on May 6.
Representative Muscarello, the sponsor, said Louisiana ranks among the top states for billboard faces per mile and argued the resolution would reduce visual clutter by increasing required spacing and banning stacked structures. “Louisiana is seventh in the nation in billboard faces per mile. We are top 10 in billboard faces per capita,” the sponsor said.
Outdoor advertising firms and smaller local billboard owners urged the committee to oppose the resolution. Wayne Hixson of Hedrick Outdoor Media said the measure raised measurement questions and would favor very large owners who already own significant inventory. “Anytime you change something on this bill, that would probably favor them if you own 90% of the inventory in the state,” Hixson told the committee, referencing market concentration. Duane Martin of Martin Advertising and Scott Jones of Jones Signs said the change would limit small companies’ ability to expand and reduce revenue available to property owners who lease space.
Committee debate included questions about whether the resolution would affect interstate logo panels (service signs) and regional differences; DOTD staff told members the resolution would apply to state highways and that the department would comply with the legislature’s will. Representative Schammerhorn moved to report HCR 3 favorably, but the motion failed on a roll-call vote of 5 yeas and 6 nays.
