It shall be unlawful for any person to erect or maintain alongside, or in plain view of, any public highway any false or misleading sign of any kind or character purporting to furnish travel information relating to place or direction. It shall be unlawful for any person to erect or maintain alongside, or in plain view of, any public highway any sign of any kind or character purporting to furnish travel information relating to merchandise or services unless the design of such sign, the information thereon, and the location thereof are approved in writing by the Commissioner of Highways, provided that the provisions of this section as to merchandise and service shall not:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 33.2-1232

  • Board: means the Commonwealth Transportation Board. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
  • Commissioner of Highways: means the individual who serves as the chief executive officer of the Department of Transportation. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • farm: means any person that obtains at least 51 percent of its annual gross income from agricultural operations and produces the agricultural waste used as feedstock for the waste-to-energy technology, (ii) "agricultural waste" means biomass waste materials capable of decomposition that are produced from the raising of plants and animals during agricultural operations, including animal manures, bedding, plant stalks, hulls, and vegetable matter, and (iii) "waste-to-energy technology" means any technology, including but not limited to a methane digester, that converts agricultural waste into gas, steam, or heat that is used to generate electricity on-site. See Virginia Code 1-222.1
  • Highway: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way or place open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
  • in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

1. Apply to or restrict the right of any person to post, display, erect, or maintain on any store, dwelling house, or other building, together with so much land therewith as shall be necessary for the convenience, use, and enjoyment thereof, or on any mercantile appliances, contrivances, or machinery annexed or immediately adjacent thereto, any sign advertising goods, merchandise, real or personal property, business services, entertainment, or amusements actually and in good faith manufactured, produced, bought, sold, conducted, furnished, or dealt in on the premises;

2. Limit or restrict the publication of official notices by or under the direction of any public or court officer in the performance of his official or directed duties;

3. Limit or restrict notice of sale by a trustee under a deed of trust, deed of assignment, or other similar instrument; or

4. Apply to or restrict the right of any property owner or his agent, lessee, or tenant to maintain any sign offering to the public farm products, including livestock of every kind, or board or lodging or similar entertainment, or the sale, rental, or lease of the property.

Nothing in this section shall limit the right of any person, firm, or corporation to erect signs that advertise natural scenic attractions in the Commonwealth.

Code 1950, § 33-324; 1970, c. 322, § 33.1-379; 2014, c. 805.

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