Passed by the House April 18, 2005 Yeas 94   ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate April 11, 2005 Yeas 48   ________________________________________ President of the Senate | I, Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1798 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk | |
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2005 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/08/05.
AN ACT Relating to motorist information sign panels; amending RCW 47.36.310; reenacting and amending RCW 47.36.320; adding a new section to chapter 47.36 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 47.36.325.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 47.36.310 and 1999 c 201 s 3 are each amended to read
as follows:
The department is authorized to erect and maintain motorist
information sign panels within the right of way of the interstate
highway system to give the traveling public specific information as to
gas, food, lodging, camping, or tourist-oriented business available on
a crossroad at or near an interchange. Motorist information sign
panels shall include the words "GAS," "FOOD," "LODGING," "CAMPING," or
"TOURIST ACTIVITIES" and the letters "RV" next to a gas, food, lodging,
camping, or tourist activity sign if the business or destination
accommodates recreational vehicles, and directional information
((and)). Directional information may contain one or more individual
business signs maintained on the panel. The "RV" logo for businesses
or destinations that accommodate recreational vehicles shall be placed
in the lower right corner of the gas, food, lodging, camping, or
tourist activity sign and shall be in the form of a small yellow circle
with the letters "RV" in black. In managing the number of individual
business signs to be displayed, the department must ensure the use of
available space on a panel is maximized. Motorist information sign
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 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The erection and
maintenance of motorist information sign panels shall also conform to
the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and rules adopted by the
state department of transportation. A motorist service or tourist-oriented business located within one mile of an interstate highway
shall not be permitted to display its name, brand, or trademark on a
motorist information sign 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 measured to the bottom
of the on-premise sign. The restriction for on-premise signs does not
apply if the sign is not visible from the highway. The department may,
on a case-by-case basis, waive the height restriction when an on-premise sign is visible from the rural interstate system. The
department shall charge ((reasonable)) sufficient fees for the display
of individual business signs to ((defray)) recover the costs of their
installation and maintenance, and ((may)) shall charge ((reasonable))
sufficient fees to recover costs for the erection and maintenance of
the motorist information sign panels.
Sec. 2 RCW 47.36.320 and 1999 c 213 s 1 and 1999 c 201 s 4 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
The department is authorized to erect and maintain motorist
information sign panels within the right of way of noninterstate
highways to give the traveling public specific information as to gas,
food, lodging, recreation, or tourist-oriented businesses accessible by
way of highways intersecting the noninterstate highway. The motorist
information sign panels are 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 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices. Motorist information sign panels shall include the words
"GAS," "FOOD," "LODGING," "RECREATION," or "TOURIST ACTIVITIES" and the
letters "RV" next to a gas, food, lodging, camping, or tourist activity
sign if the business or destination accommodates recreational vehicles,
and directional information ((and)). Directional information may
contain one or more individual business signs maintained on the panel.
The "RV" logo for businesses or destinations that accommodate
recreational vehicles shall be placed in the lower right corner of the
gas, food, lodging, camping, or tourist activity sign and shall be in
the form of a small yellow circle with the letters "RV" in black. In
managing the number of individual business signs to be displayed, the
department must ensure the use of available space on a panel is
maximized. The erection and maintenance of motorist information sign
panels along noninterstate highways shall also conform to the Manual on
Uniform Traffic Control Devices and rules adopted by the state
department of transportation. A motorist service or tourist-oriented
business located within one mile of a noninterstate highway shall not
be permitted to display its name, brand, or trademark on a motorist
information sign 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 measured to the bottom
of the on-premise sign.
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," "LODGING," ((or)) "RECREATION," or "RV" motorist information
sign 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 except as
provided in RCW 47.36.330(3) (b) and (c), 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)) sufficient fees for the
display of individual business signs to ((defray)) recover the costs of
their installation and maintenance, and ((may)) shall charge
((reasonable)) sufficient fees to recover the costs for the erection
and maintenance of the motorist information sign panels.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 47.36 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The department of transportation shall not include the logo
"RV" under RCW 47.36.310 and 47.36.320 unless a business or destination
requests an "RV" logo and the department determines that the gas, food,
or lodging business or the camping or tourist activity destination
provides parking spaces, overhang clearances, and entrances and exits
designed to accommodate recreational or other large vehicles.
(2) The department may charge a reasonable fee in accordance with
RCW 47.36.310 or 47.36.320 to defray the costs associated with the
installation and maintenance of signs with "RV" logos.
(3) The department may adopt rules necessary to administer this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 The department of transportation shall
submit an electronic report by December 15, 2005, to the house of
representatives and senate transportation committees detailing revenues
and expenditures of the motorist information sign program. The report
shall also include a detailed explanation of the methodology and
calculation of costs charged to businesses using the program.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 RCW 47.36.325 (Motorist information signs--Private contractors) and 2002 c 321 s 1 are each repealed.