14-10.004. Outdoor Advertising Permit Applications, Criteria, and Permit Issuance

(1) Applications. An application for a new sign permit is made by completing and submitting an Application for Outdoor Advertising Permit, Form 575-070-04, Rev. 6/15, incorporated herein by reference at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05475 to the address listed in paragraph 14-10.0011(2)(a), F.A.C. Each application for a sign permit shall meet the requirements of Chapter 479, F.S., this rule chapter, and the 1972 Federal-State Agreement, incorporated herein by reference at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05479. In the event of a conflict between a provision in the 1972 Federal-State Agreement and a provision of Chapter 479, F.S., the more restrictive provision shall apply.

(a) A separate application is required for each sign permit requested (i.e. a back to back sign will require two applications). Separate payment for each application is recommended to avoid denial of multiple applications should one application be denied.

(b) Prior to issuing a sign permit, the Department will inspect the proposed sign site for compliance with Chapter 479, F.S., and this rule chapter. To ensure that the site being inspected is the same site specified in the application, the applicant shall mark the proposed site in such a manner that the markings are visible from the main-traveled way. The markings shall be displayed upon submission of the application, and shall be maintained by the applicant until the Department has approved or denied the application.

(c) The Department will act on sign permit applications in order of the date and time of receipt of complete applications.

1. An application will be considered complete when all items on the application form have been filled in, all required attachments have been received, and the correct permit fees have been submitted. All information provided on the application must be certified as being true and correct. Information required on the application from the local zoning official providing allowable land use and local government approval, must be current as of the date the complete application is received by the Department and the applicant must demonstrate that the conditions are still in effect.

2. Applications submitted with payment that will become void within 30 days from the Department receipt will be returned as incomplete.

3. Applications containing incorrect information will be denied.

4. Incomplete sign permit applications will be returned to the applicant along with any sign permit fees submitted with the application.

5. Completion of, or corrections to, the original submitted document must be initialed by the applicant on the original application.

6. Pursuant to Section 479.07(3)(b), F.S., the written statement from the landowner must have been issued to the applicant, or on behalf of the applicant. If a lease document is submitted as the statement from the landowner, the applicant must be the named lessee, or the document must be accompanied by a properly executed transfer of the leasehold rights to the applicant. The written statement must:

a. Identify the property on which the sign is to be located;

b. Indicate that the person authorizing placement of the sign on the property is the owner or the person in lawful control of the property. If the person authorizing placement of the sign is not the owner of the property, the legal status which gives him or her lawful control of the property must be indicated;

c. Grant the permission to or on behalf of the applicant; and,

d. Authorize placement of the sign on the subject property.

(2) Application status. Complete applications will be either approved or denied within 30 calendar days of receipt by the Department unless an earlier application for that site or a competing site is under review, the applicant is seeking a vegetation management permit, or removal of a conflicting sign is pending.

(a) A denied application will remain in a pending status until the time to request an administrative hearing pursuant to Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S., has elapsed. If a hearing is requested, the application shall remain in a pending status until a final order has been issued and the time to request an appeal of the order has elapsed. If an appeal is taken, the application will remain in a pending status until the mandate is issued by the appellate court. Subsequent applications for conflicting sites shall be held without action until the pending status of the earlier application is resolved.

(b) If an application is approved, all subsequently received applications for conflicting sites shall be denied.

(c) When a permit application is received for a new sign site where vegetation management is required pursuant to Section 479.106, F.S., the permit will not be issued until the applicant has been issued a vegetation management permit by the Department in accordance with Rule 14-10.057, F.A.C. A permit shall not be issued to an applicant for a location at which unpermitted cutting, removal, or trimming of vegetation has occurred until such time as payment of the administrative penalty and mitigation as required by Rule 14-10.057, F.A.C., and Section 479.106(7), F.S., respectively, have been collected and the applicant has surrendered two nonconforming signs in accordance with Section 479.106(5), F.S.

(d) Applications for sign permits at locations which conflict with spacing requirements relating to the location of an expired or canceled sign permit will not be processed until the sign for which the expired or canceled permit was issued is removed, except for a sign permit being canceled as a condition for issuance of a new sign permit.

(3) Reduced Spacing on Interstates. For applications to be considered for a sign with between 1,000 feet and 1,500 feet of spacing from the nearest outdoor advertising sign along an interstate in accordance with Section 479.07(9)(c), F.S., in addition to the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, the applicant must submit:

(a) A copy of the local government adopted policy, ordinance, or other official document authorizing the placement of a new outdoor advertising sign along an interstate highway, in exchange for the removal of an existing sign from areas specifically designated by the local government; and,

(b) A copy of the agreement between the local government and the sign owner allowing such removal and replacement.

(4) Size. Each sign facing shall not exceed 30 feet in height. Each sign facing shall not exceed 60 feet in length. Advertising copy shall not exceed 950 square feet for all sign faces. Embellishments shall not extend more than five feet beyond the permanent sign face, and are included in any measurement of the height, width, or area of the sign facing.

(5) Number of Sign Faces. There shall be no more than two faces showing at one time for each sign facing.

(6) Location. Signs shall not be located in such a manner as to obscure or otherwise interfere with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, signal, or device.

(7) Spacing. The distance between a proposed sign and the nearest permitted sign shall be measured along the edge of pavement of the main-traveled way from the location marked by the applicant to the location of the permitted sign. For signs that are permitted, but not constructed, the milepost location reflected in the permitted sign’s application shall be used. Measurement along the edge of pavement shall be from a point perpendicular to a tangent on the edge of the main-traveled way nearest the location of the sign.

(a) For V-type, or back-to-back signs, to be considered one sign for spacing purposes, the sign facings must either be connected by the same sign structure or cross-bracing, or the sign structures must be not more than fifteen feet apart at their nearest point.

(b) Official signs, signs exempt from permitting under Section 479.16, F.S., and structures that are not permitted signs shall not be considered in determining compliance with spacing requirements.

(c) The width of any intersections will be included in the measured distance between signs. This distance is measured in a direct line from the points of intersection of the edges of the main-traveled way.

(d) No sign permit shall be issued for a sign to be located on the interstate highway system, which is outside the boundaries of an incorporated municipality and within 500 feet of an interchange, intersection at grade, or rest area. The distance shall be measured along the interstate in the direction leading away from the interchange, intersection at grade, or rest area beginning at the pavement widening of the exit from the main-traveled way, or at the end of pavement widening of the entrance to the main-traveled way. For the purposed of this subsection, all portions of an interchange between the points of pavement widening of the entrance and exit ramps of the same interchange shall be considered part of that interchange.

(e) When a sign or proposed sign is, or would be located within the controlled area and visible from any portion of the main-traveled way of more than one highway subject to the jurisdiction of the Department, pursuant to Section 479.07(1), F.S., the sign shall meet the permitting requirements of all highways, and be permitted to the roadway with the stricter controls.

(8) Sign Structure Height. The height of a sign structure shall be measured from the elevation of the crown of the main-traveled way to which the sign is permitted to the top of the highest sign face, excluding embellishments.

(9) Lighting. Signs shall not be illuminated by flashing, intermittent, or moving lights. Signs shall not be illuminated so that it interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures, an official traffic sign, device, or signal.

(10) Changeable messages – Signs may have an automatic changeable facing provided:

(a) The static display time for each message is at least six seconds;

(b) The time to completely change from one message to the next is a maximum of two seconds or, if messages are displayed digitally, the message must change instantaneously;

(c) The change of message occurs simultaneously for the entire sign face; and,

(d) All signs with changeable messages shall contain a default design that will ensure no flashing, intermittent message, or any other apparent movement is displayed should a malfunction occur.

(11) Outside an incorporated area, signs will not be permitted within 100 feet of the property line of a cemetery, public park, public reservation, public playground, or state or national forest. For schools and churches outside an incorporated area, signs will not be permitted within 100 feet of the outer edges of the primary building or primary building complex when the individual units of the complex are connected by covered walkways.

(12) Changes to Roadway Designations.

(a) A sign existing at a location which was not previously subject to the permitting requirements of Chapter 479, F.S., and this rule chapter, but has subsequently become subject to the requirements due to changes in the jurisdictional designation of highways, shall be granted a conforming or non-conforming state permit in accordance with the process outlined below:

1. The Department shall conduct an inventory of outdoor advertising signs on the highway section subject to jurisdictional change and, within 60 calendar days of the effective date of the proposed change, advise all affected sign owners and local governments that the change is being considered, the regulatory effect of the change, and when the change may become effective.

2. Upon approval of the jurisdictional change, the Department will provide a second notice to sign owners and local governments advising that the change in jurisdiction has become effective and that sign owners have 30 calendar days from receipt of the second notice to submit an application for a sign permit.

3. When the Department is unable to provide the advance notice referenced in paragraph (a), the Department will advise the affected sign owners that they have 90 calendar days from receipt of the notice, that the change in jurisdiction has become effective and to submit an application for a sign permit.

4. The sign owner shall submit a completed application as provided in above subsection (1) together with all items required pursuant to Section 479.07(3)(b), F.S. The written statement required by Section 479.07(3)(b), F.S., shall be any written document from the appropriate local governmental official indicating compliance with local requirements as of the date of the permit application. A previously issued building permit shall be accepted as the statement from an appropriate local governmental official, except where the local government has provided notice to the sign owner that the sign is illegal or has undertaken action to cause the sign to be removed. When a building permit is submitted as the statement of the local government, the applicant shall certify in the application that the local government has not provided notice that the sign is illegal, and that the local government has taken no action to cause the sign to be removed. If land use information is not provided in accordance with Section 479.024, F.S., but all other permit requirements are met, the Department shall classify the sign as non-conforming upon permit issuance.

(b) When a change in the designation of a highway removes that highway from the Department’s regulatory jurisdiction, a notice will be provided to all permittees on the affected roadway informing them their sign is no longer subject to the Department’s jurisdiction and their permit will not be renewed.

(c) When a controlled road, or any portion of a controlled road, is designated as a scenic highway or scenic byway pursuant to Section 335.093, F.S., new permits will not be issued for signs visible from the portion of the highway designated as a scenic highway or byway.

(13) Upon Department verification that an application meets the requirements of Chapter 479, F.S., and this rule chapter, the Department will issue an Outdoor Advertising Permit and a permit tag to the applicant.

(14) Posting of Tags. The permit tag issued by the Department must be posted at the sign site within 30 calendar days of issuing the sign permit and must remain in place at all times, whether or not a sign has been erected, or a previously erected sign has been removed. If a permit tag is lost, stolen, or destroyed, the permittee must apply to the Department for a replacement tag on Outdoor Advertising Permit Tag Replacement Request, Form 575-070-01, Rev. 06/15, incorporated herein by reference, at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05477 and shall include a replacement fee of $12.00 per tag.

(15) Changes made to the Department’s inventory, maintained in accordance with Section 479.02(8), F.S., to reflect physical characteristics of a sign or sign facing existing at the time of an inventory update shall not create a waiver or constitute forgiveness of any violation of Chapter 479, F.S.

Rulemaking Authority 334.044(2), 479.02(7) FS. Law Implemented 334.044(28), 339.05, 479.02, 479.04, 479.07, 479.106(5), 479.11, 479.24 FS. History–(Formerly part of Rule 14-10.04, Permits; 14-15.05, Right of Way Bureau Operating Procedures), New 3-28-76, Amended 4-21-77, 12-10-77, 6-26-78, 12-31-78, 1-1-86, Formerly 14-10.04, Amended 7-7-92, 6-28-98, 8-10-99, 8-19-01, 1-25-04, 3-15-05, 12-31-06, 4-2-09, 10-3-10, 1-7-16.