Assembly Bill No. 537–Committee on Government Affairs

 

CHAPTER..........

 

AN ACT relating to local governments; authorizing the construction and maintenance of benches and shelters for passengers of public mass transportation on an exclusive basis by the governing body or by franchise within an unincorporated town; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

   Section 1.  NRS 268.083 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   268.083  The governing body of an incorporated city may:

   1.  Provide those services set forth in NRS 268.081 on an exclusive

 basis or, by ordinance, adopt a regulatory scheme for providing those

 services or controlling development on an exclusive basis within the

 boundaries of the city; or

   2.  Grant an exclusive franchise to any person to provide those services

 within the boundaries of the city.

   Sec. 2.  NRS 269.128 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   269.128  A town board or board of county commissioners may, to

 provide adequate, economical and efficient services to the inhabitants of

 the town and to promote the general welfare of those inhabitants, displace

 or limit competition in any of the following areas:

   1.  Ambulance service.

   2.  Taxicabs and other public transportation, unless regulated in that

 town by an agency of the state.

   3.  Collection and disposal of garbage and other waste.

   4.  Operations at an airport, including but not limited to the leasing of

 motor vehicles and the licensing of concession stands, but excluding

 police protection and fire protection.

   5.  Water and sewage treatment, unless regulated in that town by an

 agency of the state.

   6.  Concessions on, over or under property owned or leased by the

 town.

   7.  Operation of landfills.

   8.  Construction and maintenance of benches and shelters for

 passengers of public mass transportation.

   Sec. 3.  NRS 269.129 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   269.129  A town board or board of county commissioners may:

   1.  Provide those services set forth in NRS 269.128 on an exclusive

 basis or, by ordinance, adopt a regulatory scheme for providing those

 services or controlling development on an exclusive basis within the

 boundaries of the town; or

   2.  Grant an exclusive franchise to any person to provide those services

 within the boundaries of the town.

   Sec. 4.  NRS 244.188 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   244.188  1.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3[,] and NRS

 269.128 and 269.129, a board of county commissioners may, outside the

 boundaries of incorporated cities and general improvement districts:

   (a) Provide those services set forth in NRS 244.187 on an exclusive

 basis or, by ordinance, adopt a regulatory scheme for controlling the


provision of those services or controlling development in those areas on an

exclusive basis; or

   (b) Grant an exclusive franchise to any person to provide those services.

   2.  If services for the collection and disposal of garbage are provided

 pursuant to subsection 1, the board of county commissioners may, except

 as otherwise provided in subsection 3, require owners of real property

 outside the boundaries of incorporated cities and general improvement

 districts to receive and pay for those services.

   3.  The board of county commissioners may exercise the authority

 provided in subsections 1 and 2 within the boundaries of a general

 improvement district if that district:

   (a) Is not authorized to provide those services; and

   (b) Includes any real property within 7 miles from the boundary of an

 incorporated city.

   4.  If an exclusive franchise is granted or a regulatory scheme is

 adopted for the mandatory collection and disposal of garbage and other

 waste, the initial boundaries of the collection area must be the same as the

 boundaries of an existing collection area under an exclusive franchise or

 regulatory scheme.

   5.  The board of county commissioners may expand the boundaries of a

 collection area established pursuant to subsection 4 after the board has:

   (a) Conducted preliminary studies and determined that the proposed

 collection area is economically sound and feasible and promotes the

 health, safety and general welfare of the inhabitants of the county; and

   (b) Held a public hearing on the proposed collection area after giving

 notice of the time and the place of the hearing in a newspaper of general

 circulation in that county. The notice must include the purpose of the

 hearing and describe the boundaries of the proposed collection area.

   Sec. 5.  NRS 405.030 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   405.030  1.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 and except

 within the limits of any city or town through which the highway may run,

 and on benches and shelters for passengers of public mass transportation

 built pursuant to a franchise granted pursuant to NRS 244.187 and

 244.188, [or] 268.081 and 268.083[,] or 269.128 and 269.129, it is

 unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to paste, paint, print or in any

 manner whatever place or attach to any building, fence, gate, bridge, rock,

 tree, board, structure or anything whatever, any written, printed, painted or

 other outdoor advertisement, bill, notice, sign, picture, card or poster:

   (a) Within any right of way of any state highway or road which is

 owned or controlled by the department of transportation.

   (b) Within 20 feet of the main traveled way of any unimproved

 highway.

   (c) On the property of another within view of any such highway,

 without the owner’s written consent.

   2.  Nothing in this section prevents the posting or maintaining of any

 notices required by law to be posted or maintained, or the placing or

 maintaining of highway signs giving directions and distances for the

 information of the traveling public if the signs are approved by the

 department of transportation.


   3.  A tenant of a mobile home park may exhibit a political sign within a

right of way of a state highway or road which is owned or controlled by the

 department of transportation if the tenant exhibits the sign within the

 boundary of his lot and in accordance with the requirements and

 limitations set forth in NRS 118B.145. As used in this subsection, the term

 “political sign” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 118B.145.

   Sec. 6.  NRS 405.110 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   405.110  1.  Except on benches and shelters for passengers of public

 mass transportation for which a franchise has been granted pursuant to

 NRS 244.187 and 244.188, [or] 268.081 and 268.083[,] or 269.128 and

 269.129, no advertising signs, signboards, boards or other materials

 containing advertising matter may:

   (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, be placed upon or

 over any state highway.

   (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsections 3 and 4, be placed

 within the highway right of way.

   (c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, be placed upon any

 bridge or other structure thereon.

   (d) Be so situated with respect to any public highway as to obstruct

 clear vision of an intersecting highway or highways or otherwise so

 situated as to constitute a hazard upon or prevent the safe use of the state

 highway.

   2.  With the permission of the department of transportation, counties,

 towns or cities of this state may place at such points as are designated by

 the director of the department of transportation suitable signboards

 advertising the counties, towns or municipalities.

   3.  A person may place an advertising sign, signboard, board or other

 material containing advertising matter in any airspace above a highway if:

   (a) The department of transportation has leased the airspace to the

 person pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 408.507, the airspace is over an

 interstate highway and:

     (1) The purpose of the sign, signboard, board or other material is to

 identify a commercial establishment that is entirely located within the

 airspace, services rendered, or goods produced or sold upon the

 commercial establishment or that the facility or property that is located

 within the airspace is for sale or lease; and

     (2) The size, location and design of the sign, signboard, board or

 other material and the quantity of signs, signboards, boards or other

 materials have been approved by the department of transportation; or

   (b) The person owns real property adjacent to an interstate highway

 and:

     (1) The person has dedicated to a public authority a fee or perpetual

 easement interest in at least one acre of the property for the construction or

 maintenance, or both, of the highway over which he is placing the sign,

 signboard, board or other material and the person retained the air rights in

 the airspace above the property for which the person has dedicated the

 interest;

     (2) The sign, signboard, board or other material is located in the

 airspace for which the person retained the air rights;


     (3) The structure that supports the sign, signboard, board or other

material is not located on the property for which the person dedicated the

 fee or easement interest to the public authority, and the public authority

 determines that the location of the structure does not create a traffic

 hazard; and

     (4) The purpose of the sign, signboard, board or other material is to

 identify an establishment or activity that is located on the real property

 adjacent to the interstate highway, or services rendered or goods provided

 or sold on that property.

   4.  A tenant of a mobile home park may exhibit a political sign within a

 right of way of a state highway or road which is owned or controlled by

 the department of transportation if the tenant exhibits the sign within the

 boundary of his lot and in accordance with the requirements and

 limitations set forth in NRS 118B.145. As used in this subsection, the term

 “political sign” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 118B.145.

   5.  If any such sign is placed in violation of this section, it is thereby

 declared a public nuisance and may be removed forthwith by the

 department of transportation or the public authority.

   6.  Any person placing any such sign in violation of the provisions of

 this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $250, and is also

 liable in damages for any injury or injuries incurred or for injury to or loss

 of property sustained by any person by reason of the violation.

   Sec. 7.  NRS 484.287 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   484.287  1.  It is unlawful for any person to place, maintain or display

 upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or

 device which purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official

 traffic-control device or railroad sign or signal, or which attempts to direct

 the movement of traffic, or which hides from view or interferes with the

 effectiveness of any such device, sign or signal, and except as otherwise

 provided in subsection 4, a person shall not place or maintain nor may any

 public authority permit upon any highway any sign, signal or marking

 bearing thereon any commercial advertising except on benches and

 shelters for passengers of public mass transportation for which a franchise

 has been granted pursuant to NRS 244.187 and 244.188, [or] 268.081 and

 268.083[.] or 269.128 and 269.129.

   2.  Every such prohibited sign, signal or marking is hereby declared to

 be a public nuisance, and the proper public authority may remove the same

 or cause it to be removed without notice.

   3.  This section does not prohibit the erection upon private property

 adjacent to highways of signs giving useful directional information and of

 a type that cannot be mistaken for official traffic-control devices.

   4.  A person may place and maintain commercial advertising in an

 airspace above a highway under the conditions specified pursuant to

 subsection 3 of NRS 405.110, and a public authority may permit

 commercial advertising that has been placed in an airspace above a

 highway under the conditions specified pursuant to subsection 3 of

 NRS 405.110.

 

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