Ariz. Admin. Code § R17-1-710 - Criteria for Highway-related Acknowledgment Signs and Plaques

A. For highway-related sponsorship opportunities, the Department or its contractor shall:

1. Ensure that acknowledgment signs and plaques take only the form of static, non-changeable, non-electronic legends to maintain the recognition value of official devices used for traffic control;

2. Ensure that messages on acknowledgment signs and plaques are not interspersed, combined, or alternated with other official traffic control messages, either in the same display space, by adjacency in the same assembly, or by adjacency of multiple assemblies whose longitudinal separation does not meet the placement criteria contained in the MUTCD, including when placed on opposite sides of the roadway facing the same direction of travel, except as provided for acknowledgment plaques under R17-E-711(B);

3. Ensure that the focus remains on the service provided rather than on the sponsor, and that the sponsor logo area on an acknowledgment sign or plaque is a horizontally oriented rectangle, consistent with the provisions on business logos in the MUTCD, Chapter 2J, Specific Service Signs. The width of the rectangle shall be at least approximately 1.67 times its height, the total area of which shall not exceed the maximum referenced or specified in this Article or the MUTCD. The word legend describing the activity, such as "SPONSORED BY," shall be composed of upper-case lettering of the FHWA standard alphabets at least tree inches high on conventional roads and at least four inches high on expressways and freeways;

4. Ensure that any slogan displayed on an acknowledgment sign is a brief jurisdiction-wide slogan or that of a program name, such as "ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY" Slogans for companion, supplementary, or other programs unrelated to the service being sponsored shall not be displayed on any acknowledgment sign or plaque, in accordance with the MUTCD, Section 2H.08, Acknowledgment Signs.

5. Ensure that if a graphic business logo is used to represent a sponsor, instead of a word legend using the FHWA Standard Alpha- bets, the logo is the principal trademarked official logo that represents the business name of the sponsor Secondary logos or representations, even if trademarked, copyrighted, or otherwise protected, are classified as promotional advertising and are not allowed as provided under the MUTCD, Section 1A.01, Purpose of Traffic Control Devices;

6. Ensure compliance with the following design guidelines if a graphic business logo is used to represent a sponsor:

a. Logos shall be as simple as possible and provide good readability during both daylight and nighttime hours;

b. Logos may consist of a symbol, trademark, or a legend message identifying the name or abbreviation of a specific business;

c. Logos shall not contain a telephone or fax number street name, e-mail or web address, or a direction indicator as part of the business logo unless such information is part of the sponsor's official name;

d. Logos shall not resemble an official traffic control device; and

e. Symbols or trademarks used alone for acknowledgment shall be simple and dignified and reproduced in the colors and general shape consistent with customary use, and any integral legend shall be in proportionate size.

7. Obtain an encroachment permit if applicable under 17 A.A.C. 3, Article 5, before installing, maintaining, or removing sponsor- ship content or copy from a highway-related facility or asset of the Department located along a state highway; and

8. Determine the best placement of sponsorship content or copy and cooperate with the sponsor to provide all appropriate information to the public as outlined in both the contract and the sponsorship agreement, while remaining in full compliance with any encroachment permit requirements, if the contractor requests an encroachment permit under 17 A.A.C. 3, Article 5.

B. For highway-related sponsorship opportunities, the Department or its contractor shall not:

1. Install acknowledgment signs or plaques overhead due to maximum overall size limitations and related safety considerations. Only roadside, post-mounted installations of acknowledgment signs and plaques are allowed;

2. Allow promotional advertising on any traffic control device or its supports, as provided under the MUTCD, Section 1A.01, Purpose of Traffic Control Devices;

3. Allow acknowledgment signs and plaques to contain an alternative business name that appears to have the sole or primary purpose of circumventing the MUTCD provisions. Such content or copy is considered promotional advertising rather than acknowledgment of a sponsor providing a highway-related service; and

4. Allow sponsorship acknowledgment signs or plaques that include displays that mimic, or in the Department's sole discretion, attempt to mimic, imitate, or resemble advertising. The determination of whether a sign mimics or constitutes advertising lies solely with the Department, applying in good faith the relevant standards set forth by the FHWA.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R17-1-710

Adopted by final rulemaking at 24 A.A.R. 657, effective 5/7/2018.