H-3634              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1493

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Representatives Rayburn and Baugher

Read first time 1/17/86 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to signs for motorist service businesses; and amending RCW 47.42.046 and 47.42.047.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 2, chapter 80, Laws of 1974 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 142, Laws of 1985 and RCW 47.42.046 are each amended to read as follows:

          The department is authorized to erect and maintain specific information panels within the right of way of the interstate highway system to give the traveling public specific information as to gas, food, or lodging available on a crossroad at or near an interchange.  Specific information panels shall include the words "GAS," "FOOD," or "LODGING" and directional information and may contain one or more individual business signs maintained on the panel.  Specific information panels are authorized within the corporate limits of cities and towns and areas zoned for commercial or industrial uses at locations where there is adequate distance between interchanges to ensure compliance with the provisions of Title 23 C.F.R. sec. 655.307(a).  The erection and maintenance of specific information panels shall conform to the national standards promulgated by the United States secretary of transportation pursuant to sections 131 and 315 of Title 23, United States Code and rules adopted by the state department of transportation.  A motorist service business located within one mile of a state highway shall not be permitted to display its name, brand, or trademark on a specific information panel unless its owner has first entered into an agreement with the department limiting the height of its on-premise signs at the site of its service installation to not more than fifteen feet higher than the roof of its main building.  The department shall charge reasonable fees for the display of individual business signs to defray the costs of their installation and maintenance.

        Sec. 2.  Section 4, chapter 80, Laws of 1974 ex. sess. as last amended by section 4, chapter 376, Laws of 1985 and RCW 47.42.047 are each amended to read as follows:

          The department is authorized to erect and maintain specific information panels within the right of way of both  the primary system and the scenic system  to give the traveling public specific information as to gas, food, recreation, or lodging available off the primary or scenic highway accessible by way of highways intersecting the primary or scenic highway.  Such specific information panels and tourist-oriented directional signs shall be permitted only at locations within the corporate limits of cities and towns and areas zoned for commercial or industrial uses where there is adequate distance between interchanges to ensure compliance with the provisions of Title 23 C.F.R. secs. 655.308(a) and 655.309(a). Specific information panels shall include the words "GAS," "FOOD," "RECREATION," or "LODGING" and directional information and may contain one or more individual business signs maintained on the panel.  The erection and maintenance of specific information panels along primary or scenic highways shall conform to the national standards promulgated by the United States secretary of transportation pursuant to sections 131 and 315 of Title 23 United States Code and rules adopted by the state department of transportation including the manual on uniform traffic control devices for streets and highways.  A motorist service business located within one mile of a state highway shall not be permitted to display its name, brand, or trademark on a specific information panel unless its owner has first entered into an agreement with the department limiting the height of its on-premise signs at the site of its service installation to not more than fifteen feet higher than the roof of its main building.

          The department shall adopt rules for the erection and maintenance of tourist-oriented directional signs with the following restrictions:

          (1) Where installed, they shall be placed in advance of the "GAS," "FOOD," "RECREATION," or "LODGING" specific information panels previously described in this section;

          (2) Signs shall not be placed to direct a motorist to an activity visible from the main traveled roadway;

          (3) Premises on which the qualified tourist-oriented business is located must be within fifteen miles of the state highway, and necessary supplemental signing on local roads must be provided before the installation of the signs on the state highway.

          The department shall charge reasonable fees for the display of individual business signs to defray the costs of their installation and maintenance.