KRS 177.073: Official signs and notices as to scenic and historical attractions.

The Department of Highways shall erect within six hundred and sixty (660) feet of the

right-of-way of any interstate, limited access highway, federal -aid primary highway, or

turnpikes official directional signs and notices pertaining to publicly and privat ely owned

natural wonders and scenic and historical attractions, including cultural, scientific,

educational, and religious sites, and areas of natural scenic beauty or naturally suited for

outdoor recreation deemed to be in the interest of the traveling public under the following

conditions:

(1) Such signs shall not violate any federal law, rule, or regulation, nor exceed any

standards of size, lighting, spacing, and message content as may be promulgated

from time to time by the secretary of the United Sta tes Department of

Transportation under subsection (c) of Section 131 of Title 23 of the United States

Code affecting the allocation of federal funds to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

(2) Such signs and notices shall not violate any safety standards set fort h in KRS

177.830 to 177.890 nor any regulation promulgated by the commissioner of

highways pursuant to KRS 177.860.

(3) The message content on such signs and notices shall be limited to the identification

by name of the attraction or activity and direction al information useful to the

traveler in locating the attraction, such as mileage, route numbers, or exit numbers.

Descriptive words or phrases, and pictorial or photographic representations of the

activity or its environs are prohibited.

(4) The commissio ner of highways shall promulgate by regulations specific selection

methods and criteria to be used in determining those sites and attractions, publicly

and privately owned, for which directional signs and notices may be erected as

permitted by subsection ( c) of Section 131 of Title 23, United States Code. A

statement as to selection methods, criteria, and standards of size, lighting, and

spacing shall be furnished to the secretary of the United States Department of

Transportation before the Department of Highways erects any such directional signs

and notices. The commissioner shall consider and determine, upon proper

application to the Department of Highways, those sites and attractions eligible for

official directional signs and notices.

(5) The Department of Highways shall require reimbursement for the cost of erection

and maintenance of official directional signs and notices authorized by this section

when such sites or attractions are privately owned and shall prescribe the size,

number, and locations of such signs and notices based upon its determination of the

traveler's need for information.

(6) The commissioner of highways shall promulgate such reasonable rules and

regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.