Opinion ID: 1974568
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: I-B The Maine Statute. [3]

Text: Patterned after the state-federal agreement, the Maine statute established a minimum standard of regulations to control outdoor advertising signs along the roads in Maine. In addition to establishing a licensing procedure for all advertising signs, the statute set out limitations on the erection and maintenance of signs along state and federal highways, and established the methods by which the commission is authorized to eliminate the nonconforming signs and compensate, if at all required, the signowners. Beginning with the effective date of the statute (October 1, 1969) all off-premises signs were required to conform to standards enumerated in § 2715 and § 2716. Those signs lawfully in existence on October 1, 1969 which subsequently became nonconforming to the standards had to be removed. The statute provided two basic methods for the ultimate elimination of nonconforming signs: (1) State acquisition by eminent domain (and payment of just compensation); (2) amortization. However, under Section 2719(6) the commission was authorized to acquire nonconforming signs by eminent domain only when the federal share of such compensation was available or the Maine Legislature had made a specific appropriation for such acquisition. [4] Conversely, when the federal funding was not available, amortization was the method authorized for the elimination of nonconforming signs. [5] Where amortization was employed, § 2719(7) authorized the commission to set individual periods for each sign, according to standards contained in § 2719.