R918-7-5. Acknowledgement Signs and Plaques - Size, Placement, and Content Restrictions

  (1) The placement of acknowledgement signs or plaques for Roadside Facility sponsorship is prohibited on the main traveled way. Such acknowledgement signs or plaques are permissible within the Roadside Facility, provided that they are placed such that their legend is not visible from any main traveled way, and such that they do not pose safety risks to Roadside Facility users. Acknowledgement signs or plaques acknowledging sponsorship of Traveler Service Programs may be placed along the main traveled way, as long as they conform to the design, size, and spacing requirements set forth in this Rule.

  (2) All acknowledgment signs shall meet the general principles and specific criteria prescribed in the MUTCD, including the provisions for acknowledgment signs in Section 2H.08. Furthermore, these acknowledgment signs shall not be placed at key decision points where a driver's attention is more appropriately focused on traffic control devices, roadway geometry, or traffic conditions.

  (3) Acknowledgment signs and acknowledgment plaques:

  (a) Shall meet all design and placement criteria for acknowledgment signs as covered in Part 2 of the MUTCD and all sign design principles covered in the Standard Highway Signs and Markings Book;

  (b) When located on a bikeway or shared-use path, should also be appropriately sized commensurate with the legibility needs of the bikeway or path user;

  (c) Shall be placed near the site(s) being sponsored, consistent with the purpose and principles of traffic control devices in Parts 1 and 2 of the MUTCD;

  (d) May not display any directional information, in accordance with Section 2H.08 of the MUTCD;

  (e) May not display telephone numbers, Internet addresses, or other legends prohibited by the MUTCD (consistent with Section 2H.08 of the MUTCD) for the purpose of contacting the sponsoring entity or to obtain information on the sponsorship program, such as how to become a sponsor at an available site; and

  (f) In accordance with the provisions of the MUTCD, the acknowledgment signs shall not be appended to any other sign, sign assembly, or other traffic control device.

  (g) Acknowledgment signs and acknowledgment plaques shall remain in place only for the duration of the agreement.

  (4) For sponsorship of travel service programs that are not site-specific, such as 511 Traveler Information, Radio-Weather, and Radio-Traffic, an acknowledgment plaque may be mounted in the same sign assembly below the General Service signs for these programs. The acknowledgment plaque is a horizontally oriented rectangle, with the horizontal dimension longer than the vertical dimension. The size of the acknowledgment plaque shall not exceed the lesser of 1/3 of the area of the General Service sign below which it is mounted or 24 square feet. An acknowledgment plaque shall not exceed 1/3 of the area of the largest size prescribed in the MUTCD for a specified standard sign below which the acknowledgment plaque is mounted, even where the standard sign is enlarged in accordance with Sections 2A.11 and 2I.01 of the MUTCD or where the size of a standard sign used is designated as Oversized in the MUTCD for its application. Where the legend of a standard sign is modified based on the Utah MUTCD, and results in a sign size larger than that of the standard sign in the National MUTCD, the size of the corresponding acknowledgment plaque is governed by the size of the standard sign in the National MUTCD with the standard, unmodified legend. The sponsor legend on an acknowledgment plaque shall not exceed 1/3 of the area of the plaque.

  (5) The provision of highway-related services, products, or monetary contributions that occurs through naming sponsorship (sometimes referred to as "naming rights") of officially mapped named or numbered highways is, by definition, sponsorship. Consistent with Section 2H.08 of the MUTCD, an unofficial overlay or secondary designation in the name of a sponsor on the official highway name or number through proclamation, contract, agreement, or other means, may be acknowledged within the highway right-of-way only with an acknowledgment sign. An acknowledgment sign may not display a legend that states, either explicitly or by implication, that the highway is named for the sponsor.

  (6) In accordance with Section 2H.08 of the MUTCD, in order to maintain the recognition value of official devices used for traffic control, acknowledgment signs and acknowledgment plaques shall only take the form of static, non-changeable, non-electronic legends.

  (7) Except as provided for acknowledgment plaques in Paragraph R918-7-5(4) of this Rule, acknowledgment sign and acknowledgment plaque messages shall not be interspersed, combined, or alternated with other official traffic control messages, either in the same display space, by adjacency in the same assembly, or by adjacency of multiple assemblies whose longitudinal separation does not meet the placement criteria contained in the MUTCD, including when placed on opposite sides of the roadway facing the same direction of travel.

  (8) Consistent with the provisions of Section 2H.08 of the MUTCD, due to the limit on their maximum overall size, acknowledgment signs and acknowledgment plaques may not be overhead installations. Only roadside, post-mounted installations of acknowledgment signs and acknowledgment plaques are allowed.

  (9) In order that the focus remains on the service provided rather than the sponsoring entity, the sponsor logo area on an acknowledgment sign or acknowledgment plaque shall be a horizontally oriented rectangle, consistent with the MUTCD provisions on business logos in Chapter 2J of the MUTCD. The width of this rectangle shall be at least 1.67 times its height, the total area of which may not exceed the maximum referenced or specified elsewhere in this Rule and in the MUTCD. The word legend describing the activity, such as "SPONSORED BY," shall be composed of upper-case lettering of the FHWA Standard Alphabets at least 3 inches high on conventional roads and at least 4 inches high on expressways and freeways.

  (10) When a graphic logo is used to represent the sponsor (instead of a word legend using the FHWA Standard Alphabets), the logo shall be the principal trademarked official logo that represents the corporate name of the sponsor. Secondary logos or representations, even if trademarked, copyrighted, or otherwise protected, are classified as promotional advertising and may not be allowed in accordance with Section 1A.01 of the MUTCD.

  (11) An alternative business name whose sole or primary purpose appears to be to circumvent the provisions of the MUTCD is classified as promotional advertising rather than an acknowledgment of a sponsoring entity of a highway-related service. In accordance with Section 1A.01 of the MUTCD, promotional advertising shall not be allowed on any traffic control device or its supports.

  (12) Acknowledgment signs or acknowledgment plaques that include displays mimicking advertising shall not be allowed. The determination of whether a sign mimics or constitutes advertising lies with the FHWA. In accordance with Section 2H.08 of the MUTCD, a brief Department-wide slogan may be displayed on an acknowledgment sign. The slogan displayed is that of the program name, such as "ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY." Slogans for companion, supplementary, or other programs unrelated to the service being sponsored shall not be displayed on any acknowledgment sign or acknowledgment plaque.

  (13) Acknowledgement signs and acknowledgement plaques for Traveler Service Programs or safety programs, or other operational elements that are not Roadside Facilities, such as 511 Traveler Information, UDOT Traffic App, and UDOT Traffic Web Site, shall not be placed any closer than one (1) mile from any other acknowledgement sign or acknowledgement plaque in the same direction on the main traveled way. The one-mile restriction applies regardless of which travel service program or safety program sponsorship is being acknowledged, with the exception that Sponsor-A-Highway litter control recognition signs may be placed independently of signs acknowledging any other program. Sponsor-A-Highway litter control recognition signs may be placed as close as one (1) mile from each other if facing in the same direction.

  (14) The acknowledgement sign or acknowledgement plaque shall not:

  (a) Create a safety concern, or

  (b) Interfere with the free and safe flow of traffic.

  (15) No acknowledgement sign or plaque shall promote or acknowledge sponsorship of:

  (a) Any substance or activity that is illegal for minors, such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or gambling,

  (b) Any political party, candidate, purpose, or issue: or,

  (c) Sexual material.