An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Placement of an On-premises Sign
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1053
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: THOMAS, DOW, CEBRA, CURTIS, GIFFORD, HOGAN, LEWIN, PEOPLES, THIBODEAU
Amends: 23 MRSA §1914

Legislative Document 
No.IOS3 
H.P.771 
House of Representatives, March 6, 2007 
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Placement of an On-
premises Sign 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative THOMAS of Ripley. 
Cosponsored by Senator DOW of Lincoln and 
I!/~ 
/J7. 7Tltl£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CEBRA of Naples, CRA Y of Palmyra, CURTIS of Madison, GIFFORD of 
Lincoln, HOGAN of Old Orchard Beach, LEWIN of Eliot, PEOPLES of Westbrook, 
THIBODEAU of Winterport. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec.!. 23 MRSA §1914, sub-§3, as repealed and replaced by PL 1981, c. 318, 
§4, is amended to read: 
3. Location. OR premise On-premises signs sftalt must be located within 1,000 feet 
of the priReipal bl:lildiRg a location where the business or facility is carried on or practiced 
or within 1,000 feet of the point of interest. Storage areas, parking lots, warehouses and 
other auxiliary structures and fixtures are Rot deemed considered to be bl:lildiRgs locations 
where the business, facility or point of interest is carried on or practiced. 
Sec. 2. 23 MRSA §1914, sub-§5, as repealed and replaced by PL 1981, c. 318, 
§4, is amended to read: 
5. Interstate highways. Not more than one OR premise on-premises sign, advertising 
the sale or lease of the property, may be permitted on land adjacent to any portion of the 
interstate system, including ramps and interchange areas, ',."hieh that is visible therefrom 
from the interstate. 
Not more than one OR premise on-premises sign visible from any portion of the interstate 
system including ramps and interchange areas, may be permitted more than 50 feet from 
the priReipal bl:lildiRg or stmetl:lre a location where the business, facility or point of 
interest is carried on. 
No OR premise An on-premises advertisement, located more than 50 feet from tfle 
priReipal bl:lildiRg or stmetl:lre a location where the business, facility or point of interest 
advertised is carried on, may not exceed 20 feet in kmgRt length, width or height or 150 
square feet in area, including border and trim, but excluding supports. 
Any OR premise on-premises sign located more than 50 feet from the priAeipal stmetl:lre ~ 
location where the business, facility or point of interest is carried on that displays any 
trade name wJtieR that refers to or identifies any service rendered or product sold sftalt 
must display the name of the advertised business, facility or point of interest as 
conspicuously as s-tteh the trade name. 
SUMMARY 
Under current law, an on-premises sign must be located within 1,000 feet of the 
principal building where the business is carried on. This bill amends the law to allow on-
premises signs within 1,000 feet of the location where the business is carried on and 
explicitly recognizes that storage areas, parking lots, warehouses and other auxiliary 
structures are considered locations where the business is carried on.