State ex rel. National Advertising Co. v. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission

801 S.W.2d 421, 1990 Mo. App. LEXIS 1695, 1990 WL 180035
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 20, 1990
DocketNo. WD 43279
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 801 S.W.2d 421 (State ex rel. National Advertising Co. v. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. National Advertising Co. v. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission, 801 S.W.2d 421, 1990 Mo. App. LEXIS 1695, 1990 WL 180035 (Mo. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

FENNER, Judge.

The State Highway and Transportation Commission of the State of Missouri (Commission) appeals the judgment of the trial court setting aside its order that respondent, National Advertising Company, (National) remove an outdoor advertising sign. The facts herein are not in dispute and were submitted to the Commission by stipulation.

The sign involved was lawfully erected on May 17, 1973, within 660 feet of the right-of-way of Interstate Highway 55 in St. Genevieve County, Missouri. At the time the sign was erected it was within 600 feet of a commercial activity, namely the 1-55 Speedway. The 1-55 Speedway ceased operation sometime prior to December, 1981. On or about December 22, 1981, the Commission informed National that the status of the sign had been changed to a nonconforming use due to the closing of the 1-55 Speedway.

The sign in question is a V-shaped sign, with one side facing north and one side facing south. The portion facing north ad[422]*422vertised a Shell Gasoline Station and the portion facing south advertised a Restaurant and Motel. It was stipulated between the parties that each face of the sign measured 10 feet high by 40 feet long.

Sometime between December 17, 1984 and June 4, 1985, an addition was added to the Shell side of the sign which read “Ice Cream Churn 28 Old Fashioned Flavors.” The parties stipulated among other matters as follows: that the Commission did not know who attached the addition to the sign, but that National’s evidence was that the owner of the Shell Service Station attached the addition, that National was not aware of the addition until on or about June 4, 1985, that National received no additional money or other consideration for the addition to the Shell side of the sign, and that National requested that the Shell Service Station remove the addition from the sign when National became aware of the addition.

The addition to the Shell side of the sign was 3 feet high by 35 feet long and it was raised from the top of the Shell sign by poles which extended above the Shell sign. After the addition to the Shell side of the sign, the sign appeared as represented by the following sketch copied from a photograph received in evidence.

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[423]*423On June 14, 1985, the Commission issued a “Notice to Terminate Nonconforming Sign” to National alleging that on or after October 15, 1977, the size of the sign had been changed as prohibited by 7 CSR 10-6.-060(3)(C), thereby losing its nonconforming status. National received this notice on June 17, 1985, and on June 18, 1985, National removed the addition to the sign, billing the Shell Service Station^owner for the cost of removal.

National requested administrative review of the Commission’s decision that their sign had lost its nonconforming status. Upon review the Commission issued its order directing that the sign be removed. National then petitioned the Circuit Court for review and after hearing, the Circuit Court entered judgment reversing the Commission’s order. The Commission then filed a timely notice of appeal to this court.

On appeal of the Commission’s decision in this contested case, the court reviews the Commission’s findings and decision, not the judgment of the trial court. Hulshof v. Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, 737 S.W.2d 726, 727 (Mo. banc 1987). Judicial review of the decision by an administrative body is limited to determining whether the decision was supported by competent and substantial evidence on the whole record; whether the decision was arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable or whether the agency abused its discretion. Overland Outdoor Advertising Company, Inc. v. Missouri State Highway Commission, 616 S.W.2d 563, 566 (Mo.App.1981). The fact finding function rests with the administrative agency and if the evidence would warrant either of two opposed findings, an appellate court must uphold the factual determinations the agency has made. The weight of the evidence is therefore not in issue on judicial review of an administrative hearing decision. Id.

In its sole point on appeal, the Commission argues that the trial court erred by ruling that the findings of the Commission were arbitrary and capricious, amounted to an abuse of discretion, and were not supported by competent and substantial evidence on the whole record. Respondent argues that there was no error in these findings and further, that there is no statutory authority which authorizes the Commission to order the removal of a nonconforming sign under the circumstances herein.

The “Highway Beautification Act of 1965” (23 U.S.C.A. § 131, et. seq.) was enacted requiring states to effectively regulate advertising structures within 660 feet of any interstate or primary highway right-of-way or be penalized 10 percent of their federal highway appropriation. In the same year, the Missouri Legislature enacted §§ 226.500 to 226.6001 to meet Missouri’s obligations under the federal act. Regulations to control these signs have also been adopted by the Federal Government as well as Missouri.

Under Missouri’s Code of State Regulations, signs which are lawfully erected but fail to conform to the requirements of statutes enacted at a later date may be maintained as nonconforming signs, 7 CSR 10-6.015(14); 7 CSR 10-6.-060(3); 23 CFR 750.707(b), (1987). However, as provided in the Code of Federal Regulations, “[i]n order to maintain and continue a nonconforming sign, ... [t]he sign must remain substantially the same as it was on the effective date of the state law or regulations ... Each State shall develop its own criteria to determine when ... a substantial change has occurred which would terminate nonconforming rights.” 23 CFR 750.707(d)(5). Pursuant to that directive Missouri has implemented 7 CSR 10-6.060(3), which provides in pertinent part:

violation of any ... of the following subsections ... disqualifies any sign from being maintained as a nonconforming sign and subjects it to removal by the ... Commission ...
(C) Size. The size or area of a sign shall not be increased or decreased after the date the sign becomes a nonconforming sign.

[424]*424Respondent argues that there is no statutory authority for the adoption of 7 CSR 10-6.060(3)(C) and therefore it is invalid. However, in Osage Outdoor Advertising, Inc. v. State Highway Commission of Missouri, 687 S.W.2d 566, 568 (Mo.App.1984), the Court held that “the regulations, required by federal law to obtain federal funding, are authorized by § 226.530 and are enforceable as law if the regulations are of minimum necessity.”

Minimum necessity was addressed in Boyce Industries, Inc. v. Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, 670 S.W.2d 147, (Mo.App.1984) {Boyce I).

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Bluebook (online)
801 S.W.2d 421, 1990 Mo. App. LEXIS 1695, 1990 WL 180035, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-national-advertising-co-v-missouri-highway-transportation-moctapp-1990.