An act to add Section 5367 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to outdoor advertising.
Summary
SB 364 adds Section 5367 to the Business and Professions Code to change how the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) handles permit applications for new outdoor advertising displays along new alignments of interstate or primary highways. Under the bill, Caltrans may not deny or delay acceptance of a permit application solely because the highway project has not yet been formally accepted as complete, so long as the relevant section of highway is already open to public vehicular travel within 1,000 feet of the proposed sign location.
The bill narrows a timing issue in the Outdoor Advertising Act and related regulations by allowing billboard permit processing to move forward earlier in the life of a highway project. It applies specifically to new advertising displays near new highway alignments, and it affects the permitting authority of Caltrans rather than changing local zoning or general billboard rules. The measure was chaptered as Chapter 313, Statutes of 2025.
Impact
SB 364 amends the Business and Professions Code by creating a new statutory limitation on Caltrans’ discretion in processing outdoor advertising permits. It effectively overrides any administrative practice or regulation that would require formal project completion before accepting a permit application for a billboard near a newly opened highway alignment, if the roadway is already open to traffic within the specified distance. The practical effect is to accelerate permit eligibility for sign owners and advertisers in these locations while constraining Caltrans’ ability to use project-completion status as a basis for delay.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have had broadly favorable support throughout the legislative process. Committee and floor votes were overwhelmingly or unanimously in favor at multiple stages, and the bill ultimately passed both houses and was signed into law. The available record shows no committee transcript debate, but the voting history suggests the measure was not especially controversial among legislators.
Contention
The main policy issue underlying SB 364 is the balance between allowing billboard permit processing to begin once a roadway is open to the public versus waiting until a highway project is formally accepted as complete. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a clarification that prevents unnecessary administrative delay for applicants along newly opened highway segments. Any potential concern would come from those who prefer Caltrans to retain more control over timing and roadside advertising near unfinished transportation projects, but the recorded votes do not show organized opposition or significant contention.