The Highway Beautification Act requires states to maintain “effective control” of outdoor advertising or else be subject to a loss of 10 percent of their Federal-aid highway funds. Each state was required to enter into a mandatory agreement with the Federal government that set forth sign controls in commercial and industrial areas based on customary usage within the individual state at the time the agreement was signed.

In June 1967, the Federal Highway Administration began negotiating with the states to execute the size, lighting, and spacing agreements pursuant to section 131(d) of the Act. The first two agreements, executed on June 28, 1967, were with Vermont and Rhode Island. Negotiations with the various states continued through 1971; the last agreement signed through these negotiations was with Texas, on May 2, 1972.

For a revealing look at how the Federal Highway Administration came up with the basic criteria for the Federal/State agreements, read this memorandum from Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Lawrence Jones. He describes a robust series of public hearings held in all 50 states plus Peurto Rico and the District of Columbia that resulted in a clear understanding on the concept of “customary use” as it relates to spacing, lighting and size. “Our first lighting requirement would prohibit flashing, intermittent or moving lights except those giving public service information such as time, date, temperate, weather or similar information. This provision is, of course, based upon safety factors due to the distractive features of such signs,” the memo states.

Click on a state to open its Federal/State agreement as a PDF.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee ~ amended in 1984 with this supplemental agreement
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming