(a) No person shall 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 an official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal.

(b) No person shall place or maintain nor shall any public authority permit upon any highway any traffic sign or signal bearing thereon any commercial advertising.

(c) This section shall not be deemed to 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 signs.

(d) Every such prohibited sign, signal, or marking is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and the authority having jurisdiction over the highway is hereby empowered to remove the same or cause it to be removed without notice.

(e) No person shall use on any designated federal-aid or state system street or highway in this state any traffic regulator sign, signal, marking, or any other device, unless of a type which has been submitted to the Director of Transportation for test and examination, and for which a certification of approval has been issued by the Director of Transportation, which certification is then in effect as provided by this section.

(f) Any person desiring approval of any traffic sign, signal, or any other traffic regulatory device, shall, when required submit to the Director of Transportation, one or more sets of each type of device upon which approval is desired, together with the fee as determined by the Director of Transportation. The Director of Transportation shall, upon notice to the applicant, submit such device to the proper testing agency, for a report as to the compliance of such device with the rules and uniform standard specifications adopted by the State of Alabama Department of Transportation. Such devices will also be subject to any road test or other tests as the Director of Transportation may deem necessary to determine that each type of device and its component parts conform to the requirements as adopted by the director. The Director of Transportation is authorized to refuse approval of any device certified as complying with the specifications and requirements, which he or she determines will be, in actual use, unsafe or impracticable or would fail to comply with the provisions of this chapter, or such requirements as may be adopted by him or her.

(g) The Director of Transportation shall request the testing agency to submit a report of each type of device to him or her in duplicate. For those which are found to comply with the specifications and requirements, the report shall include any special adjustments required. Reports of all tests shall be accessible to the public and a copy thereof shall be furnished by the Director of Transportation to the applicant for the test.

(h) No manufacturer, jobber, retailer, his or her agent, or other person shall sell, lease, or offer for sale or hire, any sign, signal, or any other traffic regulatory device that does not conform to the provisions of this chapter.