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CC, CBS Outdoor Agree to Remove 98 LA Billboards

Two billboard companies have agreed to remove 98 billboards in the city of Los Angeles under a tentative lawsuit settlement.

Billboards have come under fire in many cities across the country for being unsightly; some cities have banned them outright, while others have placed a cap on the number of billboards allowed within a single town. In many locations, the problem is that billboards have gone largely unregulated for decades. When they eventually come under scrutiny, it can lead to contentious battles, which is just what is happening in Los Angeles.

Under the proposed settlement, Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor will each take down 49 billboards, and will also remove any billboard erected after 1999 that doesn’t have a city permit, writes the Los Angeles Times. Each firm has more than 3,000 billboards in the city, and it is unclear how many of those may not have permits.

The lawsuit is based on two new laws that were passed in 2002. The first, a moratorium on new billboards, still stands, but the second charged a $300 fee, on each billboard, to fund an inspection program. Several firms complained that the fee was excessive, prompting them to sue the city.

The settlement maintains the fee but at a significantly lower rate. It will also allow the firms to modernize up to 420 of their billboards, including adding new technology that will allow for changing images, according to the article.