S tat is of Ohio Oiiicis of the Attorney General
Columbus
C C .CRAB BE
ATTORNEY GENERAL
April 1, 1924*
The Old Spanish Trail Association, 114 Gunter Hote1,
San Antonio, Texas®
Attentions Mrs® J® T® Smith®
Gentlemen:-
This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of March 25, 1924, in which you inquire whether or not there are any laws in Ohio governing billboard or indiscriminate advertising, and also if I know of movements among organizations or citizens to abolish or curtail the advertising abuse ®
Please be advised that, generally speaking, the title to highways in Ohio belongs to the abutting land owners, subject, of course, to the highway easement of the public therein; that we have no specific statutes prohibiting billboards or other advertising within the limits of the highways® However, state roads (inter-county highways and main market roads) are by law largely subject to the control and under the jurisdiction of the Director of Highways and Public Works and there is abundant statutory authority vested in the Director to remove or cause to be removed from the state highways what may constitute obstructions®
Under this authority, the Department of Highways and Public Works has been very active in eliminating billboards and other indiscriminate advertising from the highways® For instance, under this authority there have been removed signs which in appearance are quite similar to the signs usually placed at Jxighway crossings over railways® Under this authority, rural mail boxes have been removed from the	j
travelled portion of the highway® In fact, under a campaign to remove billboards and other advertising matter from the limits of the highway, I think I am safe in saying that such have been largely removed from the state roads in Ohio®
If information comes to you of objectionable ^til-boards or other advertising within the limits of any of the highways in Ohio, I suggest that you take the matter up direct with the Director of Highways and Public Works, and feel sure