ORS 377.710
Definitions for ORS 377.700 to 377.844

  • rules

As used in ORS 377.700 (Short title) to 377.844 (Enforcement of rules regarding health and safety) unless the context otherwise requires:

(1)

“Back-to-back sign” means a sign with multiple display surfaces mounted on a single structure with display surfaces visible to traffic from opposite directions of travel.

(2)

“Commercial or industrial zone” means an area, adjacent to a state highway, that is zoned for commercial or industrial use by or under state statute or local ordinance.

(3)

“Council” means the Travel Information Council created by ORS 377.835 (Creation of Travel Information Council as semi-independent state agency).

(4)

“Cutout” means every type of display in the form of letters, figures, characters or other representations in cutout or irregular form attached to and superimposed upon a sign.

(5)

“Department” means the Department of Transportation.

(6)

“Digital billboard” means an outdoor advertising sign that is static and changes messages by any electronic process or remote control, provided that the change from one message to another message is no more frequent than once every eight seconds and the actual change process is accomplished in two seconds or less.

(7)

“Director” means the Director of Transportation.

(8)

“Display surface” means the area of a sign available for the purpose of displaying a message.

(9)

“Double-faced sign” means a sign with multiple display surfaces with two or more separate and different messages visible to traffic from one direction of travel.

(10)

“Erect” means to construct, build, assemble, place, affix, attach, create, paint, draw or in any way bring into being or establish.

(11)

“Federal-aid primary system” or “primary highway” means the federal-aid primary system in existence on June 1, 1991, and any highway that is on the National Highway System.

(12)

“Freeway” means a divided arterial highway with four or more lanes available for through traffic with full control of access and grade separation at intersections.

(13)

“Governmental unit” means the federal government, the state, or a city, county or other political subdivision or an agency thereof.

(14)

“Interstate highway” or “interstate system” means every state highway that is a part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways established pursuant to section 103(c), title 23, United States Code.

(15)

“Logo” means a symbol or design used by a business as a means of identification of its products or services.

(16)

“Logo sign” means a sign located on highway right of way on which logos for gas, food, lodging and camping are mounted.

(17)

“Maintain” includes painting, changing messages on display surfaces, adding or removing a cutout or display surface of the same dimensions, replacing lights or the catwalk, making routine repairs necessary to keep the sign in a neat, clean, attractive and safe condition, and allowing the sign to exist.

(18)

“Main traveled way” means the through traffic lanes, exclusive of frontage roads, auxiliary lanes and ramps.

(19)

“Motorist informational sign” means a sign erected in a safety rest area, scenic overlook or sign plaza and maintained under the authority of ORS 377.700 (Short title) to 377.844 (Enforcement of rules regarding health and safety) to inform the traveling public about public accommodations, services for the traveling public and points of scenic, historic, cultural, scientific, outdoor recreational and educational interest.

(20)

“Nonconforming sign” means a sign that complied with ORS 377.700 (Short title) to 377.844 (Enforcement of rules regarding health and safety) when erected, but no longer complies with ORS 377.700 (Short title) to 377.844 (Enforcement of rules regarding health and safety) because of a later change in the law or in the conditions outside of the owner’s control. An unlawfully located or maintained sign is not a nonconforming sign.

(21)

“Outdoor advertising sign” means:

(a)

A sign that is not at the location of a business or an activity open to the public, as defined by the department by rule; or

(b)

A sign for which compensation or anything of value as defined by the department by rule is given or received for the display of the sign or for the right to place the sign on another’s property.

(22)

“Protected area” means an area located within 660 feet of the edge of the right of way of any portion of an interstate highway constructed upon any part of right of way, the entire width of which was acquired by the State of Oregon subsequent to July 1, 1956, and which portion or segment does not traverse:

(a)

A commercial or industrial zone within the boundaries of a city, as such boundaries existed on September 21, 1959, wherein the use of real property adjacent to the interstate highway is subject to municipal regulation or control; or

(b)

Other areas where land use, as of September 21, 1959, is established as industrial or commercial pursuant to state law.

(23)

“Reconstruct” means replacing a sign totally or partially destroyed, changing its overall height or performing any work, except maintenance work, that alters or changes a sign that lawfully exists under ORS 377.700 (Short title) to 377.844 (Enforcement of rules regarding health and safety).

(24)

“Relocate” includes, but is not limited to removing a sign from one site and erecting a new sign upon another site as a substitute therefor.

(25)

“Relocation credit” means a credit for future relocation of a permitted outdoor advertising sign issued in lieu of a relocation permit under ORS 377.767 (Relocation of existing outdoor advertising sign).

(26)

“Relocation permit” means a permit to relocate a sign under ORS 377.767 (Relocation of existing outdoor advertising sign), whether issued in a lieu of a current sign permit or a relocation credit.

(27)

“Rest area” means an area established and maintained within or adjacent to a state highway right of way by or under public supervision or control for the convenience of the traveling public, and includes safety rest areas, scenic overlooks or similar roadside areas.

(28)

“Scenic byway” means a state highway or portion of a state highway designated as part of the scenic byway system by the Oregon Transportation Commission or Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation.

(29)

“Secondary highway” means any state highway other than an interstate highway or primary highway.

(30)

Intentionally left blank —Ed.

(a)

“Sign” means any sign, display, message, emblem, device, figure, painting, drawing, placard, poster, billboard or other thing that is designed, used or intended for advertising purposes or to inform or attract the attention of the public.

(b)

“Sign” includes the sign structure, display surface and all other component parts of a sign.

(c)

When dimensions of a sign are specified, “sign” includes panels and frames and both sides of a sign of specified dimensions or area.

(31)

“Sign area” means the overall dimensions of all panels capable of displaying messages on a sign structure.

(32)

“Sign plaza” means a structure erected and maintained by or for the department or the Travel Information Council, adjacent to or in close proximity to a state highway, for the display of motorist information.

(33)

“Sign rules for protected areas” means rules adopted by the department applicable to signs displayed within protected areas.

(34)

“Sign structure” or “structure” means the supports, uprights, braces, poles, pylons, foundation elements, framework and display surfaces of a sign.

(35)

“State highway,” “highway” or “state highway system” means the entire width between the boundary lines of the right of way of every state highway, as defined by ORS 366.005 (Definitions), and the interstate system and the federal-aid primary system.

(36)

“Tourist oriented directional sign” means a sign erected on state highway right of way to provide business identification and directional information for services and activities of interest to tourists.

(37)

“Traffic control sign or device” means an official route marker, guide sign, warning sign, or sign directing or regulating traffic, which has been erected by or under the order of the department.

(38)

“Travel plaza” means any staffed facility erected under the authority of the Travel Information Council to serve motorists by providing brochures, displays, signs and other visitor information and located in close proximity to a highway.

(39)

“Tri-vision sign” means a sign that contains display surfaces composed of a series of three-sided rotating slats arranged side by side, either horizontally or vertically, that are rotated by an electromechanical process and capable of displaying a total of three separate and distinct messages, one message at a time, provided that the rotation from one message to another message is no more frequent than every eight seconds and the actual rotation process is accomplished in four seconds or less.

(40)

“V-type sign” means two signs erected independently of each other with multiple display surfaces having single or multiple messages visible to traffic from opposite directions, with an interior angle between the two signs of not more than 120 degrees and the signs separated by not more than 10 feet at the nearest point.

(41)

“Visible” means capable of being seen without visual aid by a person of normal visual acuity, whether or not legible from the main traveled way of any state highway. [1971 c.770 §3; 1973 c.790 §1; 1974 c.33 §1; 1975 c.336 §1; 1977 c.265 §1; 1983 c.111 §1; 1987 c.336 §2; 1993 c.741 §54; 1999 c.877 §2; 2007 c.199 §5; 2009 c.463 §5; 2011 c.562 §1]

Source: Section 377.710 — Definitions for ORS 377.700 to 377.844; rules, https://www.­oregonlegislature.­gov/bills_laws/ors/ors377.­html.

Notes of Decisions

Sign announcing future construction of facility at sign location constituted outdoor advertisement of facility not located on premises where sign was located. Hoffman v. Hwy. Div., 23 Or App 497, 543 P2d 50 (1975), Sup Ct review denied

Attorney General Opinions

Construing “reconstruction,” (1976) Vol 37, p 1538; construing “freeways,” (1976) Vol 38, p 404

377.030
Destruction or removal of trees on state highways without permission prohibited
377.040
Application to department to remove trees along state highways
377.050
Consent of department for removal of trees along state highways
377.100
Study of highway system
377.105
Effect of designation as historic and scenic highway
377.505
Definitions for ORS 377.505 to 377.540
377.510
Signs visible from state highways regulated
377.515
Removal of nonconforming signs deferred
377.521
Status of previously designated scenic areas
377.540
Director of Transportation to enforce orders and render administrative assistance
377.605
Definitions for ORS 377.605 to 377.655
377.610
Public policy on junkyards
377.615
Director’s authority to promulgate regulations, enter into agreements with federal government
377.620
Restrictions on maintaining or establishing junkyard along highway
377.625
Screening junkyard located in restricted area
377.630
Removing junkyard from restricted area
377.635
Junkyard in violation of restrictions declared a public nuisance
377.640
Acquisition of land necessary to screen or relocate junkyards
377.645
Expenditure of moneys to screen or relocate junkyards prior to availability of federal matching funds
377.650
Personal property on state highway
377.653
Personal property under state highway bridge
377.655
Rules for removal and disposition of signs and property in violation of ORS 377.650
377.700
Short title
377.705
Policy
377.707
Identifying location of signs on construction plans
377.708
Effect on certain signs of transfer of jurisdiction over state highway
377.710
Definitions for ORS 377.700 to 377.844
377.712
Issuance of permits for certain preexisting signs
377.713
Compensation following partial or total loss of outdoor advertising sign
377.715
Application of ORS 377.700 to 377.844
377.720
Prohibited signs
377.723
Affidavit of city or county necessary for issuance of sign permit
377.725
Permit
377.729
Fees for sign permits and business licenses
377.730
License for business of maintaining or erecting signs
377.735
Exemptions from sign permit requirements
377.737
Giving or receiving compensation or value for signs
377.740
ORS 377.700 to 377.844 not intended to authorize signs prohibited by other governmental units
377.745
Limitation on form and size of signs
377.750
Spacing between signs
377.753
Permits for outdoor advertising signs
377.756
Permits for signs erected by city or unincorporated community
377.757
Requirements for signs authorized by ORS 377.756
377.758
Notification by federal authorities of illegal sign
377.759
Issuance of relocation credits for removal of outdoor advertising signs from scenic byway
377.762
Issuance of relocation credits for removal of sign
377.763
Consolidation of relocation credits
377.765
Status of previously existing signs
377.767
Relocation of existing outdoor advertising sign
377.768
Effect of relocation permit on existing sign permit
377.770
Signs in protected, commercial or industrial areas
377.773
When sign abandoned
377.775
Removal procedure for noncomplying signs
377.777
Action to enjoin person from violation of ORS 377.700 to 377.844
377.780
Removal of outdoor advertising signs
377.787
Contracts to study traveler information needs
377.790
Construction, maintenance and operation of tourist and motorist informational signs
377.795
Allocation of costs of telephone informational system
377.800
Tourist and motorist informational signs
377.805
Form of tourist and motorist informational signs
377.820
Application for tourist or motorist informational sign permit
377.825
Fees for sign applications, maintenance costs and reinstallation
377.830
Limitation on motorist informational sign permits
377.831
Application for digital billboard permit
377.833
Public notifications
377.835
Creation of Travel Information Council as semi-independent state agency
377.836
Application of certain statutes to Travel Information Council
377.838
Authority of executive director of Travel Information Council
377.839
Authority of Travel Information Council
377.840
Travel Information Council account
377.841
Roadside rest areas
377.842
Refreshments at roadside rest areas
377.844
Enforcement of rules regarding health and safety
377.845
Use of funds by Department of Transportation after repayment of highway fund
377.880
Informational materials in roadside rest areas
377.885
Department of Transportation Human Trafficking Awareness Fund
377.887
State Parks and Recreation Department Human Trafficking Awareness Fund
377.992
Penalties
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