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Bill to let billboards relocate across Marion County sparks neighborhood backlash
Summary
Senate Bill 167 would permit one‑for‑one billboard relocations and structure upgrades within Marion County; city officials and neighborhood groups said the bill preempts local zoning and urged the committee to preserve home‑rule authority. The committee signaled it would seek compromise language and held the bill.
Senate Bill 167 would allow outdoor advertising companies to relocate existing billboard structures on a one‑for‑one basis within Marion County and upgrade structures to current engineering standards, while preserving INDOT oversight of state roads and limiting increases in face size and lighting.
Sponsor Sen. Dorio said the bill applies only to Marion County, does not allow more billboard faces statewide and preserves state oversight of state regulated roads. “It does not allow for billboard faces to be increased,” he told the House Roads and Transportation Committee.
Neighborhood groups, historic‑neighborhood organizations and the city government urged the committee to reject preemption. Judith Essex (Old Southside), Tom Abbeel (Historic Urban Neighborhoods of Indianapolis/HUUNI) and representatives of the Nora Northside Community Council argued the ordinance governing signs in Indianapolis was the product of years of local engagement and that SB 167 would undermine local time‑place‑and‑manner controls. “This is a local issue, and it should be local,” Essex said.
Megan Vukasich, director of the Department of Metropolitan Development for the city of Indianapolis, told the committee that the city negotiated a 2024–25 zoning package with the billboard industry, and that the city council adopted zoning amendments in January 2025 after extended outreach. She testified the changes preserved significant local control while allowing some industry concessions, and provided a count: “There are roughly 680 billboard structures in Marion County and more than 425 of them are inside I‑465.”
Industry representatives including Dan McClendon of Reagan Outdoor Advertising said the practical impact of the city’s 2025 ordinance was limited and that only a handful of economically viable relocations exist outside I‑465; he urged the committee to allow relocation options and said industry representatives remain willing to negotiate.
Chair Rep. Jim Pressell warned the committee that an extreme fallback amendment (amendment 1) would remove many billboards within I‑465 by Jan. 1, 2027, and said he preferred to give stakeholders a week to negotiate compromise language. The committee held the bill and said it would reconvene next week for further amendments and testimony.
No vote was taken on SB 167; the bill is being held for amendments and further negotiation.
