Amends TCA Title 54.

Present law generally authorizes the commissioner of transportation to promulgate rules concerning specific service signs and requires that the signs are within the guidelines prescribed by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This bill establishes statutory requirements for specific service signs. Where more than six businesses of a specific service type are eligible for sign panels at the same interchange or intersection approach, this bill authorizes the department of transportation to display additional sign panels of that same specific service type by: (1) Placing more than one specific service type on the same sign. This bill limits the number of service types that may be placed on the same sign to three and limits the number of panels per sign to six; or (2) Using a second specific service sign of that specific service type, if the additional sign can be added without exceeding the limit of four specific service signs at an interchange or intersection approach, subject to an overall limit of 12 panels for a specific service type on two signs. This bill applies only to businesses qualified under the specific service sign program as of July 1, 2009. ON APRIL 27, 2021, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 267, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 makes this bill applicable to businesses that have participated in the specific service sign program for 10 years or more instead of only to businesses qualified under the specific service sign program as of July 1, 2009. ON MAY 3, 2021, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 267 FOR HOUSE BILL 544, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 267, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #2 removes the provision, described above in the bill summary in item (2), for using a second specific service sign of that specific service type, if the additional sign can be added without exceeding the limit of four specific service signs at an interchange or intersection approach, subject to an overall limit of 12 panels for a specific service type on two signs. This amendment also clarifies that if the department places more than one specific service type on the same sign, then the department may not display more than three types of services on the sign.