Bill
SB 1064
DOT must approve or deny new outdoor advertising permits within 30 days; after that, deemed approved.
Jurisdiction: North Carolina
Session: 2025
Status: Filed April 30, 2026
Primary purpose:
- To revise the state laws governing outdoor advertising (billboards) and vegetation management related to outdoor advertising signs, by updating permit processes, vegetation removal rules, and related Department of Transportation (DOT) authority.
Key provisions and changes
1) Permits for new outdoor advertising signs (G.S. 136-133)
- DOT must approve or deny a permit for a new outdoor advertising sign within 30 days after receiving a complete application and all required fees/documentation.
- If the DOT fails to issue a written decision within 30 days, the permit is deemed approved and must be issued.
- First-time violations: the DOT may not revoke a permit for a first violation of the Article or rules. For subsequent violations linked to the same permit, the DOT must provide written notice and a 60-day cure period before revocation. During the cure period, other remedies (civil penalties, corrective actions) may still be pursued. Immediate threats to public safety or fraud remain subject to other enforcement.
2) Agreements with other authorities; limitations on delegation (G.S. 136-138)
- DOT is authorized to enter agreements with other governmental authorities related to control of outdoor advertising near interstate/primary highways, including information centers and safety rest areas.
- Any amendment to the 1972 federal-state agreement implementing the Highway Beautification Act requires prior General Assembly joint resolution approval.
- The DOT cannot delegate core permitting/enforcement authorities on outdoor advertising to counties, cities, or other subdivisions, though it can cooperate with local governments and enforce local ordinances compatible with this Article.
3) Outdoor advertising vegetation management (G.S. 136-133.1; related sections)
- A framework is established for vegetation cutting/removal associated with permitted signs, including:
- A defined maximum cut/removal zone around each sign face, with measurement points and distances based on nearby speed limits (e.g., 500 feet zone for views from roads with >35 mph; 350 feet for ≤35 mph).
- A new annual vegetation maintenance permit process (annual permit generally $400) to manage vegetation within the defined zone.
- Repeal of several prior selective vegetation removal provisions and fees; the act consolidates vegetation control under the annual permit system.
- Native dogwoods must be preserved.
- Options to remove trees within the zone include: (i) reimbursement to the Department under existing statute, or (ii) removing two nonconforming outdoor signs for each sign where removal is requested, with surrender of those signs and prohibition on future permits for them.
- A separate option allows beautification/planting plans in lieu of direct reimbursement or loss of nonconforming signs; the DOT will develop rules for replanting/compensation.
- The annual permit is valid for one year and renewable for a $500 fee.
- Provisions for vegetation encroachment by herbicides from private property side are included, requiring licensed applicators and adherence to safety rules, with limits on distance and diameter (no native dogwoods or trees ≥4 inches diameter in certain cases).
- Private property side pruning/cutting within specific limits (and with owner consent) is allowed, without requiring a selective vegetation removal permit for certain limited encroachments.
- The act prohibits using Highway Trust Fund money for vegetation replacement under these provisions.
- The Department may revoke permits for unlawful destruction or illegal cutting within 500 feet of the sign if it is willful and would improve visibility.
4) Effective date
- The act becomes law upon passage and enactment.
Potential impact
This summary focuses on the substantive changes in permits, vegetation management, and intergovernmental coordination introduced by SB 1064.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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