60-5-522. Business eligibility -- criteria -- restrictions. (1) To be eligible for business identification on a tourist-oriented directional sign, a business establishment shall meet the following standards for a business, service, or activity:

(a) Gas, food, lodging, and camping services must:

(i) be licensed and approved by the state and local agencies regulating the particular type of business;

(ii) provide an acceptable level of service to the public;

(iii) be in continuous operation at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, including Saturday or Sunday; and

(iv) have a telephone and restroom facilities available for public use.

(b) Recreation services must:

(i) be licensed and approved by state and local agencies as required by law;

(ii) provide to families and the public activities of interest in which people participate for purposes of physical exercise, collective amusement, or enjoyment of nature. Such activities may include hiking, golfing, skiing, boating, swimming, picnicking, fishing, and horseback riding.

(c) Tourist services must:

(i) be licensed as required by law;

(ii) be open to the public at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, including Saturday or Sunday, during the normal tourist season; and

(iii) provide a natural, recreational, historical, cultural, educational, or entertainment activity or a unique or unusual commercial or nonprofit activity, from which the major portion of income or visitors is derived during normal business seasons from motorists not residing in the immediate area of the activity.

(2) Priority under subsection (1)(a) must be given to businesses that are in continuous operation for 12 months a year.

(3) (a) Each business identified on a tourist-oriented directional sign shall provide assurance of its conformity with all applicable laws concerning the provision of public accommodations without regard to race, color, sex, culture, social origin or condition, or political or religious ideas.

(b) If a business violates any of these laws, it loses eligibility for business identification on a tourist-oriented directional sign.

(4) A business that owns any outdoor advertising structure in violation of the provisions of Title 75, chapter 15, part 1, may not be eligible for business identification on a tourist-oriented directional sign for 1 year after the illegal outdoor advertising structure is removed unless the owner voluntarily removes it within 45 days of receiving notification under 75-15-131.

History: En. Sec. 10, Ch. 537, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 260, L. 1993.