Dispute Over Sign Ordinance Reaches US Supreme Court

July 28, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court does not take many land use-related cases. On June 28, however, it granted the petition for certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising of Texas Inc., No. 20-1029—a case of significant practical importance for towns and villages in New York and across the country.

The Austin case focuses specifically on the ability of local municipalities to regulate the digitization of on-premises and off-premises signs, a complicated subject that typically involves studies, administrative and executive time, public hearings, and associated attorney fees and other costs. Indeed, depending on the court’s decision, even more general sign ordinances may need to be reconsidered and, perhaps, even amended.

Reprinted with permission from New York Law Journal, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, Vol 266 – No. 19.

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