1. A. Applications shall be made by the person who is the contemplated owner of the subject sign to be permitted.
2. B. Applicants for a permit shall execute an application form furnished by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and shall forward such application form properly and completely executed as to all information requested to the district office of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development situated within the highway district where said sign is to be located.
3. C. All permits for the erection of outdoor advertising shall be conditioned upon compliance with state law, and any action by or on behalf of the permit holder or sign owner contrary to state law and regulations shall be grounds for voiding any subject permit heretofore or hereafter issued.
4. D. The department shall void the permit for the sign wherein the violation took place and the department shall not issue future permits within the district where the violation occurred to the permit holder and/or sign owner and/or landowner until the illegal sign is removed.
5. E. The department must be notified in writing by the original permittee upon any change or transfer of ownership of the permitted installation. Such notification may be done by submittal of the sales agreement.
6. F. An original signature of the landowner or a copy of the current lease agreement shall be submitted with each application.
7. G. Every applicant who seeks to situate a controlled advertising structure in a commercial or an industrial zone shall furnish evidence of the restrictive zoning of the subject land on the department's zoning supplement form which shall be completed by the appropriate state or local authority.
8. H. Permit applications which are properly completed and executed and which are accompanied by all other required documentation shall be thereafter submitted by the district office to the appropriate permit office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for review. Permits applications which are not in proper form or which are not complete or not accompanied by required documentation or do not meet the requirements of state law at the time of the submittal of the application shall be returned to the applicant by the district office with reasons for its return. Applications may be resubmitted at any time.
9. I. The appropriate permit-issuing officer designated by the department shall review all permit applications. Thereafter, permits shall be issued or the application rejected and returned to the applicant with reasons for denial of the permit.
10. J. Copies of all permits shall be transmitted to the district office of the district where the sign is to be situated for subsequent surveillance by the district office.
11. K. Each permit shall specify a time delay of 12 months within which to erect the subject advertising device. The district office shall determine whether or not the device has been erected within the specified time delay.
12. L. If a sign has not been erected within the delay provided by the subject permit, the permit may be voided by the department and the applicant or permittee so notified. On the day following the posting of notice to any such applicant or permittee of the voiding of the permit to the last known address as furnished by the applicant, the subject sign location shall be available to any other applicant.
13. M. If a sign has been erected within the delays allowed by the permit, but the subject sign does not conform to the specifications of the permit, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development shall notify the applicant or permittee in writing to cause the sign to conform to the permit. The applicant or permittee shall have 30 days to cause the sign to conform to the permit. The time delay begins on the day following the posting of written notice to said applicant or permittee at the last known address as furnished by the applicant or permittee. Extensions of time within which the applicant or permittee may bring the sign into legal conformity may be granted by the department when the department determines that good cause has been demonstrated. The department will void any permit when the permittee fails to conform the sign within the time delay or extentions provided. Thereafter the sign must be removed at the sign owner's expense. The sign owner may prevent such removal only by securing a new permit for the subject sign, which did not conform to the previous permit. A new permit may be obtained upon appropriate application including payment of all fees in connection therewith. Nevertheless, once a permit has been voided the sign location is available to any applicant.
14. N. If a sign is erected without first obtaining a permit from the department and the department notifies the owner that the sign is illegal, the owner of the sign will have a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the department's letter to bring the sign into legal compliance and make proper application for the permit. Extensions of time within which the applicant or permittee may bring the sign into conformity may be granted by the department when the department determines that good cause has been demonstrated.
15. O. When a permitted outdoor advertising sign or device is knocked down or destroyed, or modified, the sign or device cannot be reinstalled or rebuilt without first obtaining a new outdoor advertising permit pursuant to the procedures established in this part.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 48:461 et seq.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Highways, LR 2:191 (June l976), amended by the Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Highways/Engineering, LR 29:2856 (December 2003), LR 31:945 (April 2005), LR 33:532 (March 2007), LR 37:918 (March 2011).