(a) This chapter applies only to lawfully erected on-premises advertising displays.

(b) As used in this chapter, “on-premises advertising displays” means any structure, housing, sign, device, figure, statuary, painting, display, message placard, or other contrivance, or any part thereof, that has been designed, constructed, created, intended, or engineered to have a useful life of 15 years or more, and intended or used to advertise, or to provide data or information in the nature of advertising, for any of the following purposes:

(1) To designate, identify, or indicate the name or business of the owner or occupant of the premises upon which the advertising display is located.

(2) To advertise the business conducted, services available or rendered, or the goods produced, sold, or available for sale, upon the property where the advertising display has been lawfully erected.

(c) As used in this chapter, “introduced or adopted prior to March 12, 1983,” means an ordinance or other regulation of a city or county which was officially presented before, formally read and announced by, or adopted by the legislative body prior to March 12, 1983.

(d) This chapter does not apply to advertising displays used exclusively for outdoor advertising pursuant to the Outdoor Advertising Act (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 5200)).

(e) As used in this chapter, illegal advertising displays do not include legally erected, but nonconforming, displays for which the applicable amortization period has not expired.

(f) As used in this chapter, “abandoned advertising display” means any display remaining in place or not maintained for a period of 90 days which no longer advertises or identifies an ongoing business, product, or service available on the business premise where the display is located.

(g) (1) For the purpose of this chapter, an on-premises advertising display that is located within the boundaries of a development project, as defined by Section 65928 of the Government Code, that identifies the name of the development project, its business logo, or the goods, wares, and services existing or available within the development project, shall continue to be deemed an on-premise advertising display regardless of any of the following occurrences:

(A) The creation or construction, in or about the project, of a common parking area, driveway, thruway, alley, passway, public or private street, roadway, overpass, divider, connector, or easement intended for ingress or egress, regardless of where or when created or constructed, and whether or not created or constructed by the project developer or its successor, or by reason of government regulation or condition.

(B) The sale, transfer, or conveyance of an individual lot, parcel, or parcels less than the whole, within the development project.

(C) The sale, transfer, conveyance, or change of name or identification of a business within the development project.

(D) The subdivision of the parcel that includes the development project in accordance with the Subdivision Map Act (Division 2 (commencing with Section 66410) of Title 7 of the Government Code).

(2) This subdivision shall not be applicable in any case in which its application would result in a loss of federal highway funds by the State of California.

(3) This subdivision applies to all counties and general law or charter cities.

(Amended (as amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 495) by Stats. 1997, Ch. 471, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1998. Note: Sec. 3 of Ch. 471 repealed Sec. 3 of Stats. 1996, Ch. 495, which otherwise would have repealed, on January 1, 1999, the amendment of this section by Sec. 2 of Ch. 495.)