The County Outdoor Advertising Bill 2015

The Bill defines “advertisement” as any word, letter, devise, model, sign, placard, board, notice or representation, whether illuminated or not, in the nature of and employed wholly or partly for the purposes of drawing the attention of the public to or promoting any – (a) product, service, business or commercial enterprise, trade, person; (b) election or candidature in an election; (c) entertainment; (d) function or meeting; or (e) any other similar service or event.

The Bill applies to all advertisements except to any advertising display used exclusively for any of the following purposes-

• To provide directions to property for sale, lease, or exchange where the display is not visible from a highway;
• To designate the name of the owner or occupant of a premises or to identify a premises;
• Anything employed wholly as a memorial, railway or road signal or a placard or other object borne by an individual;
• Notices or signs displayed on any premises in order to advertise the fact that a person, partnership or company is carrying out a profession, business or trade at those premises;
• Notices or signs displayed on buildings or land as means of identification, direction or warning; and
• To advertise products, goods, or services sold by persons on the premises of a sports, cultural or social arena on a regular basis, or to advertise any products, goods, or services marketed or promoted on the premises of an arena pursuant to a sponsorship marketing plan.
• An advertisement-
  • Displayed on enclosed land and not readily visible from outside the enclosure or from any part of it over which the public have a right of access;
  • Relating to religious, educational, cultural, recreational or medical institutions or institutions of similar character;
    Incorporated in the fabric of a building but not including an advertisement fixed to or painted on a building;
  • Displayed inside a building, and not within one metre of any external door, window, or other opening through which it is visible from outside the building;
  • Displayed on or in any vehicle normally employed as a moving vehicle;

The law intends to establish a County Outdoor Advertising Committee, which would be responsible for the issuance of advertising licenses. Applications made to the committee will be subjected to public scrutiny, and comments from the public before the Committee approves any application.

Further the Bill gives the owners of advertisements the obligation to ensure that the area where the advertisement is erected is kept clean, the structures that hold the advertisement are maintained in a safe condition and after removal of the advertisement the structures are left in a tidy and safe condition.

Lastly the bill provides penalties for contravention of any of its provisions.