No person shall engage or continue in the business of outdoor advertising in the Commonwealth outside the corporate limits of municipalities or within the corporate limits of municipalities if their off-premises sign, advertisement, or advertising structure is visible from the main traveled way of any Interstate System, federal-aid primary, or National Highway System highway without first obtaining a license therefor from the Commissioner of Highways. The fee for such license hereby imposed for revenue for the use of the Commonwealth shall be $500 per year, payable annually in advance. Applications for licenses or renewal of licenses shall be made on forms furnished by the Commissioner of Highways, shall contain such information as the Commissioner of Highways may require, and shall be accompanied by the annual fee. Licenses granted under this section shall expire on December 31 of each year and shall not be prorated. Applications for renewal of licenses shall be made not less than 30 days prior to the date of expiration. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any person that advertises upon a structure or fixture on its property or a licensed advertiser’s structure or other space to obtain a license.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 33.2-1205

  • Advertisement: includes any part of an advertisement recognizable as such. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Advertising structure: means any rigid or semirigid material, with or without any advertisement displayed thereon, situated upon or attached to real property outdoors, primarily or principally for the purpose of furnishing a background or base or support upon which an advertisement may be posted or displayed. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Business of outdoor advertising: means the erection, use, or maintenance of advertising structures or the posting or display of outdoor advertisements by any person who receives profit gained from rentals or any other compensation from any other person for the use or maintenance of such advertising structures or the posting or display of such advertisements, except reasonable compensation for materials and labor used or furnished in the actual erection of advertising structures or the actual posting of advertisements. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Commissioner of Highways: means the individual who serves as the chief executive officer of the Department of Transportation. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
  • Highway: means every way or place of whatever nature open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Interstate System: means the same as that term is defined in 23 U. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
  • Main traveled way: means the traveled way of a highway on which through traffic is carried. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Person: includes an individual, partnership, association, or corporation. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Sign: means any outdoor sign, display, device, figure, painting, drawing, message, placard, poster, billboard, or other thing that is designed, intended, or used to advertise or inform, any part of the advertising or informative contents of which is visible from any highway. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200
  • Visible: means capable of being seen (whether or not legible) without visual aid by a person of normal visual acuity. See Virginia Code 33.2-1200

Code 1950, § 33-303; 1954, c. 588; 1964, c. 619; 1968, c. 519; 1970, c. 322, § 33.1-356; 1979, c. 216; 1993, c. 538; 2014, c. 805.