DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION  
BUREAU OF HIGHWAY TECHNICAL SERVICES  
ADVERTISING ADJACENT TO HIGHWAYS  
(By authority conferred on the state highway commission by section 23 of Act No.  
106 of the Public Acts of 1972 and Act No. 306 of the Public Acts of 1969, as amended,  
being SS252.323 and 24.201 to 24.315 of the Michigan Compiled Laws)  
PART 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS  
R 247.701 Definitions; A to D.  
Rule 1. (1) Terms defined and used in the act have the same meaning when used in  
these rules.  
(2) "Act" means Act No. 106 of the Public Acts of 1972, being SS252.301 to  
252.324 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.  
(3) "Directional and other official signs and notices" means an official sign or  
notice, public utility sign, service club and religious notice, public service sign, and  
directional signs.  
(4) "Directional sign" means a sign containing only directional information  
and the identification of the activity about public places owned or operated by  
federal, state or local governments or their agencies, publicly or privately owned  
natural phenomena, historic, cultural, scientific, educational, or religious site, deemed  
to be in the interest of the traveling public.  
History: 1979 AC.  
R 247.702 Definitions; M to O.  
Rule 2. (1) "Official signs and notices" means a sign or notice erected and  
maintained by public officers or a public agency within their territorial or zoning  
jurisdiction and pursuant to and in accordance  
with direction or authorization  
contained in federal, state, or local law for the purposes of carrying out an official  
duty or responsibility and a historical marker authorized by state law and erected by  
state or local government agency or nonprofit historical society.  
(2) "On-premise advertising signs and devices" means a sign, display, or device  
which identifies the business transacted, services rendered, goods sold or produced on  
the property, name of the business, name of firm or corporation occupying the  
property.  
History: 1979 AC.  
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R 247.703 Definitions; P to V.  
Rule 3. (1) "Parkland" means a publicly owned land which is designated or used as  
a public park, recreation area, wildlife or waterfowl refuge or historic site.  
(2) "Public service sign" means a sign located on an approved school bus shelter  
containing identification of donor and such safety slogans as to not occupy over 60%  
of the area of the sign.  
(3) "Public utility signs" means a warning sign, informational sign, notice, or  
marker which is customarily erected and maintained by a publicly or privately  
owned public utility, and essential to their operation.  
(4) "Scenic area" means an area of particular scenic beauty or historical  
significance as determined by the federal, state or local officials having jurisdiction  
thereof and includes interest in land which has been acquired for the restoration,  
preservation, and enhancement of scenic beauty.  
(5) "Service club and religious notice" means a sign or notice, relating to meetings  
of a nonprofit service club or charitable association or religious service, which  
signs do not exceed 8 square feet in area.  
(6) "Transient or temporary operation" means that which operates less than 3  
months per year.  
(7) "Turning roadway" means a connecting roadway for traffic turning between  
2 intersecting legs of an interchange.  
(8) "Village" means an incorporated village.  
History: 1979 AC.  
R 247.705 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.706 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.707 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.708 Visual limitations.  
Rule 8. Topographical features used to determine vision limitations to signs  
include land forms, water, vegetation, and buildings affixed to the land.  
History: 1979 AC.  
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R 247.709 Measurements.  
Rule 9. (1) Measurements for spacing determination shall be made parallel to  
the edge of the pavement of the main traveled way.  
(2) Measurements for determining that portion of a business area that is within 1  
mile of a municipality shall be made on an arc or radius basis, with measurements  
starting at the nearest point on the corporate limits and extending toward the  
controlled highways.  
(3) Measurements between multiface signs shall be horizontal between the edge or  
back of the display face or face border trim of the sign and sign structure.  
(4) The following shall be deemed 1 sign structure for spacing and size controls if  
they comply to the stated criteria:  
(a) Double-faced display; faces lying in the same general plane not more than 4  
feet apart and facing the same direction of travel.  
(b) Back-to-back sign structure; faces not more than 10 feet apart and facing in  
opposite directions of travel.  
History: 1979 AC.  
R 247.710 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.711 Zoning areas.  
Rule 11. (1) Zoning shall be in accordance with procedures established by state  
law.  
(2) The status of an unzoned commercial or industrial area, or a zoned business  
area beyond 1 mile of the corporate limits, shall remain unchanged for a period of  
3 years after the businesses creating the commercial or industrial area have closed  
operations. During the period when a commercial or industrial business is not in  
operation, additional signs shall not be allowed within the area.  
(3) In determining unzoned commercial or industrial areas, activities related to  
agriculture or forestry such as nurseries, greenhouses, storage facilities, portable  
sawmills, natural resource extraction operations normally located in agricultural or  
forest areas such as unmanned oil wells and storage areas, earth borrow areas  
lacking  
permanent  
processing equipment, as well as unmanned public utility  
structures or operations shall not be considered commercial or industrial.  
History: 1979 AC.  
PART 2. PERMITS AND VIOLATIONS  
R 247.721 Permits.  
Rule 21. (1) Each sign face shall be treated as a separate sign for permit  
purposes.  
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(2) If the permit number cannot be placed on the sign facing, it may be placed on  
the sign structure in compliance with the act. If the permit number is placed on the  
structure, it shall be visible from the highway faced by the sign or sign structure.  
(3) Any permit issued pursuant to these rules does not relieve the applicant  
from the responsibility of complying with all ordinances which comply with section 4  
of the act.  
(4) The location of the proposed sign as specified in the permit application  
shall be relied upon by the department in the issuance of future permits in that  
vicinity.  
(5) A person is not required to obtain a permit for his own sign which is located on  
his own premise, only if that sign advertises the business, products or profession  
which is conducted or maintained on that premise as defined in these rules.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.723 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
PART 3. DIRECTIONAL AND OTHER OFFICIAL SIGNS  
R 247.731 Directional and other official signs; applicability.  
Rule 31. All applicable provisions of the act shall apply to directional and other  
official signs and notices which are erected and maintained within the adjacent area  
of an interstate, freeway, or primary highway and which are visible from the main  
traveled way of the highway, except as hereinafter provided.  
History: 1979 AC.  
R 247.732 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.733 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
R 247.735 Size.  
Rule 35. (1) A sign shall not exceed the following limits:  
(a) Service clubs and church signs, 8 square feet per organization.  
(b) Directional signs, 150 square feet.  
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(c) Public service signs, 32 square feet.  
(2) The maximum height or length is 20 feet.  
(3) All dimensions include border and trim.  
History: 1979 AC.  
R 247.736 Spacing and location.  
Rule 36. (1) Each location of a service club, church, and directional sign shall be  
approved by the department.  
(2) The total number of service club and church signs on 1 side of the highway  
shall be not more than 4 in any 1,000 feet.  
(3) A directional sign shall be located not less than 2,000 feet from an interchange,  
rest area, or intersection at-grade along the interstate system or other freeway as  
measured along the main traveled way from the nearest point of the beginning or  
ending of pavement widening at the exit or entrance to the main traveled way.  
(4) A directional sign shall be located not less than 2,000 feet from a parkland or a  
scenic area.  
(5) Directional signs facing the same direction of travel shall be spaced not less  
than 1 mile apart.  
(6) Not more than 3 directional signs pertaining to the same activity and facing  
the same direction of travel shall be erected along  
activity.  
a
single route approaching the  
(7) A sign located adjacent to an interstate highway shall be not more than 75 air  
miles from the activity.  
(8) A sign located adjacent to a primary highway shall be not more than 50 air miles  
from the activity.  
History: 1979 AC.  
R 247.737 Rescinded.  
History: 1979 AC; 2017 AACS.  
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