§ 72-7-502 — Definitions.

As used in this part:
(1) "Clearly visible" means capable of being read without obstruction by an occupant of a vehicle traveling on the main traveled way of a street or highway within the visibility area.
(2) "Commercial or industrial activities" means those activities generally recognized as commercial or industrial by zoning authorities in this state, except that none of the following are commercial or industrial activities:
(2)(a) agricultural, forestry, grazing, farming, and related activities, including wayside fresh produce stands;
(2)(b) transient or temporary activities;
(2)(c) activities not visible from the main-traveled way;
(2)(d) activities conducted in a building principally used as a residence; and
(2)(e) railroad tracks and minor sidings.
(3) (3)(a) "Commercial or industrial zone" means only:
(3)(a)(i) those areas within the boundaries of cities or towns that are used or reserved for business, commerce, or trade, or zoned as a highway service zone, under enabling state legislation or comprehensive local zoning ordinances or regulations;
(3)(a)(ii) those areas within the boundaries of urbanized counties that are used or reserved for business, commerce, or trade, or zoned as a highway service zone, under enabling state legislation or comprehensive local zoning ordinances or regulations;
(3)(a)(iii) those areas outside the boundaries of urbanized counties and outside the boundaries of cities and towns that:
(3)(a)(iii)(A) are used or reserved for business, commerce, or trade, or zoned as a highway service zone, under comprehensive local zoning ordinances or regulations or enabling state legislation; and
(3)(a)(iii)(B) are within 8420 feet of an interstate highway exit, off-ramp, or turnoff as measured from the nearest point of the beginning or ending of the pavement widening at the exit from or entrance to the main-traveled way; or
(3)(a)(iv) those areas outside the boundaries of urbanized counties and outside the boundaries of cities and towns and not within 8420 feet of an interstate highway exit, off-ramp, or turnoff as measured from the nearest point of the beginning or ending of the pavement widening at the exit from or entrance to the main-traveled way that are reserved for business, commerce, or trade under enabling state legislation or comprehensive local zoning ordinances or regulations, and are actually used for commercial or industrial purposes.
(3)(b) "Commercial or industrial zone" does not mean areas zoned for the sole purpose of allowing outdoor advertising.
(4) (4)(a) "Comprehensive local zoning ordinances or regulations" means a municipality's general plan required by Section 10-20-401, the municipal zoning regulations authorized by Section 10-20-501, the county general plan authorized by Section 17-79-401, and county zoning regulations authorized by Section 17-79-501.
(4)(b) Property that is rezoned by comprehensive local zoning ordinances or regulations is rebuttably presumed to have not been zoned for the sole purpose of allowing outdoor advertising.
(5) "Contiguous" means that a portion of one parcel of land is situated immediately adjacent to, and shares a common boundary with, a portion of another parcel of land.
(6) "Controlled route" means any route where outdoor advertising control is mandated by state or federal law, including under this part and under the Utah-Federal Agreements described in Section 72-7-501.
(7) "Directional signs" means signs containing information about public places owned or operated by federal, state, or local governments or their agencies, publicly or privately owned natural phenomena, historic, cultural, scientific, educational, or religious sites, and areas of natural scenic beauty or naturally suited for outdoor recreation, that the department considers to be in the interest of the traveling public.
(8) (8)(a) "Erect" means to construct, build, raise, assemble, place, affix, attach, create, paint, draw, or in any other way bring into being.
(8)(b) "Erect" does not include any activities defined in Subsection (8)(a) if they are performed incident to the change of an advertising message or customary maintenance of a sign.
(9) "Highway service zone" means a highway service area where the primary use of the land is used or reserved for commercial and roadside services other than outdoor advertising to serve the traveling public.
(10) "Information center" means an area or site established and maintained at rest areas for the purpose of informing the public of:
(10)(a) places of interest within the state; or
(10)(b) any other information that the department considers desirable.
(11) "Interchange or intersection" means those areas and their approaches where traffic is channeled off or onto an interstate route, excluding the deceleration lanes, acceleration lanes, or feeder systems, from or to another federal, state, county, city, or other route.
(12) "Maintain" means to allow to exist, subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(13) "Maintenance" means to repair, refurbish, repaint, or otherwise keep an existing sign structure safe and in a state suitable for use, including signs destroyed by vandalism or an act of God.
(14) "Main-traveled way" means the through traffic lanes, including auxiliary lanes, acceleration lanes, deceleration lanes, and feeder systems, exclusive of frontage roads and ramps. For a divided highway, there is a separate main-traveled way for the traffic in each direction.
(15) "Major sponsor" means a sponsor of a public assembly facility or of a team or event held at the facility where the amount paid by the sponsor to the owner of the facility, to the team, or for the event is at least $100,000 per year.
(16) "Official signs and notices" means signs and notices erected and maintained by public agencies within their territorial or zoning jurisdictions for the purpose of carrying out official duties or responsibilities in accordance with direction or authorization contained in federal, state, or local law.
(17) "Off-premise sign" means a sign located in an area zoned industrial, commercial, or H-1 and in an area determined by the department to be unzoned industrial or commercial that advertises an activity, service, event, person, or product located on premises other than the premises on which the sign is located.
(18) "On-premise sign" means a sign used to advertise the sale or lease of, or activities conducted on, the property on which the sign is located.
(19) "Outdoor advertising" means any outdoor advertising structure or outdoor structure used in combination with an outdoor advertising sign or outdoor sign within the outdoor advertising corridor which is visible from a place on the main-traveled way of a controlled route.
(20) "Outdoor advertising corridor" means a strip of land 660 feet wide, measured perpendicular from the edge of a controlled highway right-of-way.
(21) "Outdoor advertising structure" or "outdoor structure" means any sign structure, including any necessary devices, supports, appurtenances, and lighting that is part of or supports an outdoor sign.
(22) "Point of widening" means the point of the gore or the point where the intersecting lane begins to parallel the other lanes of traffic, but the point of widening may never be greater than 2,640 feet from the center line of the intersecting highway of the interchange or intersection at grade.
(23) "Public assembly facility" means a convention facility as defined under Section 59-12-602 that:
(23)(a) includes all contiguous interests in land, improvements, and utilities acquired, constructed, and used in connection with the operation of the public assembly facility, whether the interests are owned or held in fee title or a lease or easement for a term of at least 40 years, and regardless of whether the interests are owned or operated by separate governmental authorities or districts;
(23)(b) is wholly or partially funded by public money;
(23)(c) requires a person attending an event at the public assembly facility to purchase a ticket or that otherwise charges for the use of the public assembly facility as part of its regular operation; and
(23)(d) has a minimum and permanent seating capacity of at least 10,000 people.
(24) "Public assembly facility sign" means a sign located on a public assembly facility that only advertises the public assembly facility, major sponsors, events, the sponsors of events held or teams playing at the facility, and products sold or services conducted at the facility.
(25) "Relocation" includes the removal of a sign from one situs together with the erection of a new sign upon another situs in a commercial or industrial zoned area as a substitute.
(26) "Relocation and replacement" means allowing all outdoor advertising signs or permits the right to maintain outdoor advertising along the interstate, federal aid primary highway existing as of June 1, 1991, and national highway system highways to be maintained in a commercial or industrial zoned area to accommodate the displacement, remodeling, or widening of the highway systems.
(27) "Remodel" means the upgrading, changing, alteration, refurbishment, modification, or complete substitution of a new outdoor advertising structure for one permitted pursuant to this part and that is located in a commercial or industrial area.
(28) "Rest area" means an area or site established and maintained within or adjacent to the right-of-way by or under public supervision or control for the convenience of the traveling public.
(29) "Scenic or natural area" means an area determined by the department to have aesthetic value.
(30) "Traveled way" means that portion of the roadway used for the movement of vehicles, exclusive of shoulders and auxiliary lanes.
(31) (31)(a) "Unzoned commercial or industrial area" means:
(31)(a)(i) those areas not zoned by state law or local law, regulation, or ordinance that are occupied by one or more industrial or commercial activities other than outdoor advertising signs;
(31)(a)(ii) the lands along the highway for a distance of 600 feet immediately adjacent to those activities; and
(31)(a)(iii) lands covering the same dimensions that are directly opposite those activities on the other side of the highway, if the department determines that those lands on the opposite side of the highway do not have scenic or aesthetic value.
(31)(b) In measuring the scope of the unzoned commercial or industrial area, all measurements shall be made from the outer edge of the regularly used buildings, parking lots, storage, or processing areas of the activities and shall be along or parallel to the edge of pavement of the highway.
(31)(c) All signs located within an unzoned commercial or industrial area become nonconforming if the commercial or industrial activity used in defining the area ceases for a continuous period of 12 months.
(32) "Urbanized county" means a county with a population of at least 125,000 persons.
(33) "Visibility area" means the area on a street or highway that is:
(33)(a) defined at one end by a line extending from the base of the billboard across all lanes of traffic of the street or highway in a plane that is perpendicular to the street or highway; and
(33)(b) defined on the other end by a line extending across all lanes of traffic of the street or highway in a plane that is:
(33)(b)(i) perpendicular to the street or highway; and
(33)(b)(ii) 500 feet from the base of the billboard.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 15, 2025 Special Session 1