Bill > H403

This bill makes several changes to Massachusetts law regarding billboard and outdoor advertising. First, it expands the powers of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to include the ability to sell, lease, or contract for advertising on its facilities and to take over the duties previously held by the outdoor advertising board. The bill also adds new restrictions on billboard placement, specifically requiring that billboards cannot be located within 500 feet of a public park or reservation without local approval, and cannot obstruct views of locations on the National Register of Historic Places without local approval. Additionally, the bill stipulates that outdoor advertisements for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) must be subject to local zoning and approval. These changes aim to give local communities more control over billboard placement and advertising while providing MassDOT with more flexibility in generating revenue through advertising contracts. The provisions related to the outdoor advertising board's powers are retroactively applied to November 1, 2009, suggesting this is resolving a long-standing administrative matter.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H403