WAC 468-66-210   Permit issuance and maintenance.  (1) No signs except Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 signs, shall be erected or maintained adjacent and visible to interstate system, primary system, or scenic system highways without a permit issued by the department. A permit to erect and maintain a sign that complies with the requirements of this chapter and is adjacent and visible to an interstate system, primary system, or scenic system highway will be issued by the department in accordance with this section. Subsections (2) through (8) of this section pertain to permits for Types 4, 5, 6, and 7 signs; subsection (9) of this section pertains to permits for Type 8 signs; subsection (10) of this section pertains to permits for Types 4, 5, and 8 signs; and subsections (11) and (12) of this section pertain to permits for Types 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 signs.

     (2) Permit applications for Types 4, 5, 6, and 7 signs will be accepted only at the department's headquarters located in Olympia, Washington. Applications transmitted by mail shall be considered received as of the date delivered to the department, rather than the postmarked date of mailing.

     (3) Application forms, titled Application - Outdoor Advertising Sign Permit, shall be certified by the sign owner under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Washington and contain the information following:

     (a) The name and address of the sign owner, with a signed statement that says "I, the undersigned applicant, declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Washington that the information provided herein, concerning the location of sign, sign description, and property owner/lessee, is accurate and true. I also acknowledge that any discrepancy in such information discovered hereafter is cause for the department of transportation to revoke this sign permit; and further declare that, after permit revocation, I shall remove without compensation any sign erected under such permit." The signature block shall also contain space for the sign owner to list the location, city, county, and state, where the sign owner signs the application.

     (b) The statement and signature of the owner of the property on which the sign is to be erected and maintained, which states that the property owner consents to the sign installation and maintenance. A complete and valid lease between the sign owner and the property owner may be accepted in lieu of the property owner's statement and signature.

     (c) A statement or site map that describes or shows both the precise location of the proposed sign site and a readily identifiable stake or other marker placed in the ground at the site.

     (d) A description of the proposed sign's size, shape, and directional orientation to an identified state route.

     (e) A description of the advertising copy or message to be placed on the sign, if the sign is intended to be visible to the interstate system.

     (f) Other information that the department may require.

     (4) Applications shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of three hundred dollars for each sign structure, except Type 7 signs for which the fee is three hundred dollars for each sign face.

     (5) Permits shall be for the remainder of the calendar year in which they are issued; accompanying fees shall not be prorated for fractions of the year. Permits are renewed annually through the certification process following:

     (a) Prior to January 1 of each year the department shall require, through the use of a permit renewal certification form, permit renewal certification from each permit holder.

     (i) To renew a permit, the permit holder or the permit holder's representative shall recertify by signature under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Washington that all information on the permit is accurate and that the permit holder desires to retain the permit in good standing for the upcoming calendar year.

     (ii) The completed permit renewal certification shall be returned to the department not later than December 31.

     (b) If the department does not receive the required permit renewal certification by December 31, the permit will automatically terminate, the sign will become an illegal sign, and the department will initiate proceedings as authorized by RCW 47.42.080 to remove the illegal sign. The department shall cause the permit renewal certification form to contain this information.

     (6) Changes in size, shape, or position of a permitted sign shall be reported to the department in Olympia at least ten days before a change is to be made. In the case of Type 4 and Type 5 signs permitted along the interstate system, changes in copy shall be reported to the department in Olympia at least ten days before a change is to be made to assure compliance with WAC 468-66-050 (5)(d)(vi).

     (7) The department shall be notified when permits in good standing are assigned to another sign owner.

     (8) If a permitted sign is intended for relocation, the sign owner must submit a new permit application.

     (9)(a) Pursuant to RCW 47.42.130, for every permit issued the department shall also issue an aluminum tag that has the department-assigned permit number stamped on its face. The maximum size of the tag is sixteen square inches.

     (b) The permittee shall fasten the aluminum tag to the sign so it is plainly visible to the highway.

     (c) The department will replace a lost or otherwise missing aluminum tag after the sign owner pays a replacement fee of thirty dollars.

     (10) For Type 8 signs, permit application forms, titled Permit Application - Temporary Agricultural Directional Sign, accompanied by a fee of fifty dollars for each sign face must be submitted to the appropriate region office of the department. Submittals must include the same information required by subsection (3)(a) through (f) of this section for Types 4, 5, 6, and 7 signs, and:

     (a) An exact description of the location of the temporary agricultural business activity;

     (b) A description of the proposed sign copy;

     (c) Identification of the products sold;

     (d) Expected weeks/months of sales; and

     (e) The Uniform Business Identifier number assigned by the Washington state department of licensing.

     After the department's region office approves the application, the permit becomes valid. The sign may be erected at the beginning of the sale season and shall be removed at the end of the sale season. The permit shall be valid for five consecutive years from the date of application approval. A new permit application must be submitted and approved by the department's region office prior to erecting a sign at a location where the five-year permit has expired.

     (11) Where the number of applications for available Types 4, 5, 6, and 7 sign sites exceeds the number of available sites, permits shall be awarded on the basis of first received by date and time at the department's headquarters office in Olympia. Where the number of applications for available Type 8 sign sites exceeds the number of available sites, permits shall be awarded on the basis of first received by date and time at the department's regional office having jurisdiction over the sites. In the case of a tie between applicants, and upon notification thereof by the department, the department shall determine by lot which applicant shall receive the permit.

     (12) A permit issued under this chapter does not relieve the permittee from the duty to comply with all local ordinances or resolutions pertaining to signs and sign structures.

     (13) In the event the department has initiated permit revocation proceedings under WAC 468-66-220, the department shall not accept new permit applications for the sign location at issue until such proceedings are concluded and any required signs removed.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 47.42 RCW and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations part 750. 06-03-005, § 468-66-210, filed 1/4/06, effective 2/4/06.]