Okla. Stat. tit. 69, § 69-1273

As used in Section 1271 et seq. of this title:

(a) "Sign", "outdoor advertising" or "outdoor advertising

device" means any outdoor sign, display, device, notice, figure,

painting, drawing, message, placard, poster, billboard or other

thing which is designed, intended or used to advertise or inform,

but shall not include surface markers showing the location or route

of underground utility facilities or pipelines or public telephone

coin stations installed for emergency use.

(b) "Main traveled way" means the traveled way of a highway on

which through traffic is carried. In the case of a divided highway,

the traveled way of each of the separated roadways for traffic in

opposite directions is a main traveled way. It does not include

such facilities as frontage roads, turning roadways or parking

areas.

(c) "To erect" and its variants means to construct, build,

raise, assemble, place, affix, attach, create, paint, draw or in any

other way bring into being or establish. But these shall not

include any of the foregoing activities when performed as incident

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 69. Roads, Bridges, and Ferries Page 132

to the change of advertising message or customary maintenance of the

sign structure.

(d) "Unzoned commercial or industrial areas" means those areas

which are not zoned by state or local law, regulation or ordinance,

and on which there is located one or more permanent structures

devoted to a commercial or industrial activity or on which a

commercial or industrial activity is actually conducted, whether or

not a permanent structure is located thereon, and the area along the

highway extending outward six hundred (600) feet from and beyond the

edge of such activity on both sides of the highway. Provided

however, the unzoned area shall not include land on the opposite

side of an interstate or dual-laned limited access primary highway

from the commercial or industrial activity establishing the unzoned

commercial or industrial area or land on the opposite side of other

federal-aid primary highways, which land is deemed scenic by an

appropriate agency of the state.

All measurements shall be from the outer edges of the regularly

used buildings, parking lots, storage or processing areas of the

commercial or industrial activities, not from the property lines of

the activities, and shall be along or parallel to the edge of

pavement of the highway. Such an area shall not include any area

which is beyond six hundred sixty (660) feet from the nearest edge

of the right-of-way. In unzoned commercial or industrial areas

signs shall not be located:

(1) Within three hundred (300) feet of any building used

primarily as a residence, unless the owner of the

building consents in writing to allow the sign to

exist; or

(2) Within five hundred (500) feet of any of the

following: public park, garden, recreation area or

forest preserve, church, school and officially

designated historical battlefield.

All spacing considerations are determined by whether or not they

exist within the adjacent or control area.

(e) "Commercial and industrial activities" means those

activities, clearly visible from the main traveled way, generally

recognized as commercial or industrial by zoning authorities in this

state, except that none of the following shall be considered

commercial or industrial:

(1) Agricultural, forestry, ranching, grazing, farming and

related activities, including, but not limited to,

wayside fresh produce stands;

(2) Outdoor advertising structures;

(3) Transient or temporary activities;

(4) Activities more than six hundred sixty (660) feet from

the nearest edge of the right-of-way;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 69. Roads, Bridges, and Ferries Page 133

(5) Activities conducted in a building principally used as

a residence; and

(6) Railroad tracks and minor sidings.
ted to,

wayside fresh produce stands;

(2) Outdoor advertising structures;

(3) Transient or temporary activities;

(4) Activities more than six hundred sixty (660) feet from

the nearest edge of the right-of-way;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 69. Roads, Bridges, and Ferries Page 133

(5) Activities conducted in a building principally used as

a residence; and

(6) Railroad tracks and minor sidings.

(f) "Official signs" means signs and notices erected and

maintained by public officers or public agencies within their

territorial jurisdiction and pursuant to and in accordance with

direction or authorization contained in federal or state law for the

purposes of carrying out an official duty or responsibility.

(g) "Informational signs" means signs containing directions or

information about public places owned or operated by federal, state

or local governments or their agencies, publicly or privately owned

natural phenomena, historic, cultural, educational and religious

sites, and areas of natural scenic beauty or naturally suited for

outdoor recreation, deemed to be in the interest of the traveling

public.

(h) "On-premise activities signs" means signs advertising

activities conducted upon the property on which the signs are

located.

(i) "On-premise sale or lease signs" means signs advertising

the sale or lease of property on which they are located.

(j) "Interstate highway" means any highway at any time

officially designated a part of the National System of Interstate

and Defense Highways by the Department and approved by the

appropriate authority of the federal government.

(k) "Primary highway" means the Federal-aid Primary System in

existence on June 1, 1991, and any highway which is not on that

system but is on the National Highway System.

(l) "Centerline of the highway" means a line equidistant from

the edges of the median separating the main traveled ways of a

divided highway, or the centerline of the main traveled way of a

nondivided highway.

(m) "Adjacent area" or "control area" means the area which is

adjacent to and within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the nearest

edge of the right-of-way on any interstate or primary highway within

urban areas, which six hundred sixty-foot distance shall be measured

horizontally along a line perpendicular to, or ninety (90) degrees

to, the centerline of the highway. Outside of urban areas, adjacent

area or control area means the area which is visible from the main

traveled way on any interstate or primary highway.

(n) "Business area" means any part of a control area which is:

(1) Within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the nearest

edge of the right-of-way and zoned for business,

industrial or commercial activities under the

authority of any state zoning law, or city or county

zoning ordinance of this state; or

(2) Not so zoned, but which constitutes an unzoned

commercial or industrial area as herein defined.

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(o) "Department" means the Department of Transportation of the

State of Oklahoma.

(p) "Maintain" means to hold or keep in a state of efficiency

or validity, to support or sustain, by cleaning or repairing the

sign or changing the message on its face.

(q) "Visible" means capable of being seen without visual aid by

a person of normal visual acuity.

(r) "License" means the privilege to do business in the State

of Oklahoma having been granted by an official agency.

(s) "Permit" means the privilege to erect a sign or signs in an

individual location within the State of Oklahoma having been granted

by an official agency.

(t) "License fee" means the monetary consideration paid for the

privilege of doing business in the State of Oklahoma.

(u) "Permit fee" means the monetary consideration paid for the

privilege of erecting a sign or signs in a specific location within

the State of Oklahoma.
o erect a sign or signs in an

individual location within the State of Oklahoma having been granted

by an official agency.

(t) "License fee" means the monetary consideration paid for the

privilege of doing business in the State of Oklahoma.

(u) "Permit fee" means the monetary consideration paid for the

privilege of erecting a sign or signs in a specific location within

the State of Oklahoma.

(v) "Urban area" means an urbanized area or, in the case of an

urbanized area encompassing more than one state, that part of the

urbanized area in each such state, or an urban place as designated

by the Bureau of the Census having a population of five thousand

(5,000) or more and not within any urbanized area, within boundaries

to be fixed by responsible state and local officials in cooperation

with each other, subject to approval by the Secretary of

Transportation. Such boundaries shall, as a minimum, encompass the

entire urban place designated by the Bureau of the Census.

(w) "Relocation permit" means a permit issued pursuant to the

provisions of subparagraph (d) of paragraph (3) of Section 1275 of

this title. A relocation permit shall have precedence over any

municipal or county restriction that interferes with the intended

purpose of providing a method and opportunity to minimize the cost

of acquiring legally erected outdoor advertising signs by the

Department; provided, however, for those municipalities with a

population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000) based on the

most recent census data, neither a relocation permit nor any outdoor

advertising sign permit shall be issued in those areas in which a

municipality or county has lawfully enacted a prohibition on the

erection of an outdoor advertising sign. This section shall not

prohibit a registered sign owner from seeking just compensation

through a legal proceeding.