Where Can Billboards Be Placed?

Today we are going to answer the question, where can billboards be placed? As you drive, you see billboards everywhere so you may be wondering where can’t you put a billboard. The maximum allowable number of billboards under the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 is 21 structures per mile on Interstate highways, 36 structures per mile on rural primary highways, 106 per mile on urban primary highways. There are more than 10 million nationwide!

Billboards can be placed almost anywhere, with a few restrictions. They are prohibited in Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, and Vermont, though you do have many other outdoor ad format options in these states. Billboards are required to adhere to very specific zoning, requiring them to be a certain distance from residentially zoned properties even if the parcel they would be built on is in the correct commercial zoning. They are also not permitted along scenic highways, such as US Route 40 Scenic, which runs through northern Maryland.

Under the Highway Beautification Act, billboards need to be at least 660 feet from a major highway and must be at least 1500 feet from the next highway billboard and 500 feet from the nearest street billboard. If a billboard is beyond 660 feet from the highway, it is governed by city and state zoning laws, which are considerably less strict than the rules that apply to highway billboards. Billboards in a commercial/industrial area adjacent to interstate and federal-aid primary highways are governed in a much more relaxed way than typical billboards. This means building new billboards is relatively easy in these areas as long as the Highway Beautification Act and zoning laws are followed.

Billboard placement is restricted for outdoor alcohol advertising in close proximity to children. Billboards advertising any type of alcohol must be more than 500 feet from schools, public playgrounds, and churches that serve as youth venues. Some state laws further permit alcohol advertising by banning them from residential areas and preventing these ads even further from schools, playgrounds and other areas close to children. States with legalized marijuana have similar rules for cannabis advertising.

Now that you know the answer to “where can billboards be placed,” head over to BillboardsIn to start your billboard advertising campaign today!