Limit Out-of-Home Billboard Advertising

 

The purpose of this bill is to preserve Minnesota's natural beauty, uplift the tourism industry, protect the

environment, reduce burden on tax payers, and protect Minnesotan drivers by placing a permanent moratorium on the

construction of out-of-home advertising billboards.

 

Minnesota is known and celebrated for its stunning landscapes, iconic lakes, and vibrant tourism economy, but with

out-of-home (OOH) Billboards strewn around the state–Minnesotas charm is being severely downgraded. A five-year study of

35 cities by the Mississippi Research and Development Center concluded, “The way a community looks affects how both

residents and visitors feel about it. An attractive community has a better chance at industry, especially tourism.” To

support and uplift Minnesota's tourism economy, we must eliminate the further development of such visual pollution and

prioritize the remaining natural and unobstructed scenic views.

Furthermore, billboards consume a copious amount of energy. With the number of digital billboards increasing over 40% in

just 2023, we can see that digital billboards are the new trend. This is an issue as Research by the Central Texas

chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council found the energy consumption of one digital billboard is 49 times that of a

conventional billboard. While it depends on a multitude of factors, the average digital billboard consumes roughly 4,600

kilowatts of electricity per month, while the standard Minnesotan household uses 712 kilowatts of electricity per month;

a single digital billboard is usurping more than 6 times the amount of energy as the average Minnesotan single-family

home. Placing a moratorium on billboards would prevent further energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and light

pollution from escalating.

OOH billboards also put Minnesotan drivers in danger. Billboards substantially impact how well drivers manage their

speed, maintain their lanes, focus their attention, and react to stressful situations. Digital signs take drivers' eyes

off the road for more than 2 seconds per seen billboard, and any distraction usurping over 2 seconds is considered an

extremely significant cause of crashes and near-crashes. This bill aims to prevent further suffering caused by driving

distractions.

Additionally, billboards burden taxpayers significantly. When the government needs the land under a billboard for a

public purpose, billboard owners commonly demand compensation for lost future revenues, often for up to seven years or

more into the future. The replacement of the Lafayette Bridge in St. Paul, Minnesota required the removal of one digital

billboard and four static billboards owned by Clear Channel Outdoor. In September 2013, the Minnesota Department of

Transportation settled and paid Clear Channel $4.3 million for the digital billboard and $3 million for the static

billboards, all sourced from public funds. Tax money is being consumed by these signs when it could be going towards

much more important and pressing issues.

 

Billboard: a large outside advertising device elevated above ground by a structure that is attempting to market a

particular thing or cause to passing drivers and pedestrians–excluding signs displaying nearby business establishments'

names.

Digital billboard: a large billboard that advertises and shows content using an electronic screen/display, often an LED

screen, and that can be remotely or automatically changed.

Moratorium: a temporary or permanent suspension of an activity or law. As it pertains to OOH billboards, it is a

permanent ban on new billboard construction.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising: a form of advertising in public spaces that can build brand awareness and reach consumers

in their daily lives/routines. Common types of OOH advertising include, but are not limited to, posters, billboards,

digital billboards, transit advertising, place-based advertising, and mobile advertising.

 

No funding is necessary.

 

Any OOH advertising billboard permit that is submitted for approval after the effective date will be denied without

exception. Any person or entity who attempts to construct any new OOH advertising billboard will be delivered a formal

demand from Minnesota's Department of Transportation (MnDOT) informing them of their misconduct and ordering a

discontinuation of operations. If the person or entity proceeds with construction after being sent the demand, they will

be fined $2000 for each of the following days until they confirm with MnDOT that they have ceded operations.

 

Upon passing, this bill will become effective on October 3, 2026.