Highway Beautification Act (1965)
Congress passed the Highway Beautification Act, championed by first lady Lady Bird Johnson, restricting billboards and junkyards along the nation's interstate highways. States faced a 10% cut in federal highway funds if they did not comply.
The act forced removal of many nonconforming billboards and required permits for new ones along federal highways.
Established a lasting federal-state framework regulating outdoor advertising along interstates.
It shows how government has long controlled billboards; the Rancho Drive sign's 1994 special use permit sits inside this same regulatory tradition at the city level.
