Under IC 4-22-2-24, notice is hereby given that on November 28, 2007, at 1:00 p.m., at the Indiana Government Center-South, 402 West Washington Street, Conference Center Room 32, Indianapolis, Indiana, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on proposed amendments to 105 IAC 7, which governs permits for highways, to allow INDOT to update definitions and terms, establish formal procedures for the permitting of changeable message signs on state highways, define the types and configurations of changeable message signs allowed on state highways, and update the list of control areas to which the rule applies.

INDOT has the authority to adopt these rules under IC 8-23-20-25, IC 8-23-2-6, and IC 8-23-20-25.5. The permit application fees for outdoor advertising signs are expressly authorized in IC 8-23-20-25. Changeable message signs benefit the billboard industry because they may result in increased revenue and require less maintenance. The proposed rule will allow INDOT to better monitor and control the placement of such signs and increase safety. Based on INDOT's experience with the permitting of outdoor advertising signs, these benefits outweigh and justify the costs or requirements that this rule would impose.

Copies of these rules are now on file at the Indiana Government Center-North, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room 855 and Legislative Services Agency, One North Capitol, Suite 325, Indianapolis, Indiana and are open for public inspection.