BILL REQ. #: H-4753.1
State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2004 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/06/04.
AN ACT Relating to motorist information sign panels; amending RCW 47.36.310; reenacting and amending RCW 47.36.320; 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 directional information and may contain one or
more individual business signs maintained on the panel. In determining
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
fees for the display of individual business signs to defray the costs
of their installation and maintenance, and ((may)) shall charge
reasonable fees to recover costs for the erection and maintenance of
the motorist information sign panels. However, the annual signage fee
must not exceed three hundred dollars. The department must take
measures to ensure the timely and efficient processing of applications
submitted by businesses wishing to advertise on the 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
directional information and may contain one or more individual business
signs maintained on the panel. In determining 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" 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 fees for the display of
individual business signs to defray the costs of their installation and
maintenance, and ((may)) shall charge reasonable fees for the erection
and maintenance of the motorist information sign panels. However, the
annual signage fee for primary roads must not exceed one hundred five
dollars. The department must take measures to ensure the timely and
efficient processing of applications submitted by businesses wishing to
advertise on the panels.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 RCW 47.36.325 (Motorist information signs--Private contractors) and 2002 c 321 s 1 are each repealed.