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Billboard relocation near state road projects draws League concern over compensation and local control
Summary
House Bill 198 would alter relocation rules for billboards displaced by state road projects; League members worried removal of distance buffers could shift compensation costs to cities and limit local zoning authority in fragmented mile‑segments around interchanges.
House Bill 198 would change rules governing relocation of outdoor advertising structures displaced by reconstruction of state roads, League staff told members. The bill as introduced would remove certain distance buffers that limit where a displaced billboard may relocate along the same roadway.
City concerns: League staff and a member work group said removing the buffer could shift compensation costs to cities when a state project leaves no practical relocation sites within a city’s jurisdiction. Presenters explained that federal and state rules already prohibit billboards within certain distances of interchanges, other billboards and residential zones; a major reconstruction that creates new interchanges can fragment otherwise continuous "mile" segments and make relocation difficult or impossible within the city. Staff warned that, when relocation options are unavailable, the financial burden could fall to the local government.
Work group alternatives: The League convened a work group that proposed several alternatives to the industry’s initial proposal to allow relocation “anywhere” on the same road. Options the group discussed include requiring relocation within the same city (or to a neighboring city only by agreement), allowing relocation to the opposite side of the road when appropriate, expanding the relocation radius where a mile is fragmented by interchanges, and requiring clearer UDOT coordination and compensation calculations in environmental review (EIS) exercises. Work group members said their goal was to preserve local zoning discretion while resolving practical fragmentation problems caused by major state highway projects.
Process: League staff said they will meet again with outdoor‑advertising representatives and seek member input from cities likely to be affected by I‑15 reconstruction in Davis and northern Salt Lake counties and other future projects. The bill had not yet been scheduled for committee at the time of the LPC briefing.
