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:
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.
Structure Code of Virginia
Title 33.2 - Highways and Other Surface Transportation Systems
Chapter 12 - Outdoor Advertising in Sight of Public Highways
§ 33.2-1200. Policy; definitions
§ 33.2-1201. Enforcement of provisions by Commissioner of Highways
§ 33.2-1202. Territory to which article applies
§ 33.2-1203. Entry upon lands; hindering Commissioner of Highways or agent
§ 33.2-1204. Excepted signs, advertisements, and advertising structures
§ 33.2-1205. License required of outdoor advertisers
§ 33.2-1206. Revocation of license and judicial review
§ 33.2-1207. Bond required from out-of-state licensee
§ 33.2-1209. Applications for permits; fees
§ 33.2-1210. Duration and renewal of permit
§ 33.2-1211. Revocation of permit
§ 33.2-1213. Appeal from refusal or revocation of permit
§ 33.2-1214. Transfer of licenses and permits to successor concerns
§ 33.2-1215. Identification of advertising structure or advertisement
§ 33.2-1216. Certain advertisements or structures prohibited
§ 33.2-1218. Removal of billboard signs under this chapter prohibited without just compensation
§ 33.2-1219. Maintenance and repair of nonconforming billboard signs
§ 33.2-1220. Regulations and agreements with United States implementing § 33.2-1217
§ 33.2-1221. Selective pruning permits; fees; penalty
§ 33.2-1222. Tree-trimming policies
§ 33.2-1223. Pasting advertisements prohibited in certain instances
§ 33.2-1224. Signs or advertising on rocks, poles, etc., within limits of highway; civil penalty
§ 33.2-1225. Commissioner of Highways may enter into certain agreements; civil penalties
§ 33.2-1226. Harmony of regulations
§ 33.2-1227. Violation a nuisance; abatement
§ 33.2-1228. Disposition of fees
§ 33.2-1229. Penalties for violation
§ 33.2-1230. Adjustment or relocation of certain billboard signs
§ 33.2-1231. Construction of article
§ 33.2-1232. Prohibition of false and misleading signs
§ 33.2-1233. Penalty for violation of § 33.2-1232
§ 33.2-1234. Removal of false or misleading signs by Commissioner of Highways