Highway Beautification Act (1965)
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act, championed by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. It restricted billboards along the interstate highway system and tied federal highway funds to state compliance.
States began regulating or removing billboards along federal highways to keep their funding.
Established a lasting federal role in billboard control and set a pattern for state and local sign regulation.
Shows how governments have long used permits and zoning to control billboards — the same mechanism Las Vegas applies in its periodic permit reviews.
