(1) Applications for outdoor advertising permits will be processed in the order that they are received by the department. Applications will be date-and-time stamped upon receipt by the department.

(2) If applications for outdoor advertising permits are received by the department for two or more signs in such proximity to each other, or to existing permitted signs, or for any other reason such that only one of them may receive a state outdoor advertising permit, they will be considered in the order in which they are received by the department.

(3) An application rejected for incompleteness, inaccuracy, or other valid cause shall not retain its place before other competing applications (if any), but, if resubmitted, will be considered a new application as of the date and time it is received.

(4) Applications for permits shall be submitted on forms provided by the department and must contain a minimum of the following:

(a) name, address, and signature of sign owner and land owner;

(b) location of proposed sign including highway number, nearest milepost, side of highway, county, and distance and direction to nearest sign;

(c) acknowledgement of zoning, if any, by local authority;

(d) signature of appropriate local government authority; 

(e) description of structure including width of sign, height of sign, height of structure, type of sign (single-faced, double-faced, v-type, multi-faced), lighted (yes/no), and estimated cost of construction to include labor and material;

(f) landowner consent;

(g) property description or legal description; and

(h) a scale drawing with all details of the proposed sign structure, including accurate dimensions. All measurements must be from the outer edges of the regularly used buildings, parking lots, storage or processing and landscaped areas of the commercial or industrial activities, not from the property lines of the activities, and must be along or parallel to the edge of the pavement of the highway.

(5) Applications for permits must be accompanied by the following:

(a) both the nonrefundable inspection fee and the initial permit fee;

(b) a local zoning certification for outdoor advertising on a form provided by the department; and

(c) a business license issued by a local, county, or state government authorizing the business to operate at the qualifying location, when the application is for a site located in an unzoned commercial or industrial area.

(6) The applicant must clearly mark the physical place the sign is to be erected with the exact location of the proposed sign site to enable department personnel to perform the required site inspection.

(7) Approval of an application and issuance of a permit does not alleviate an applicant from responsibility to comply with all applicable county or local regulations. Any violation of county or local regulations may result in revocation of the permit.