§37-8-200. Erection or maintenance of advertising signs resembling railroad signs.

(a) No person, firm, association or corporation shall erect or maintain on any public road or street in the State of Alabama, or no private property within one fourth of a mile of the right-of-way of any public road or street, any advertising sign that resembles or that can reasonably be mistaken for a railroad crossing sign; and the owner or person in possession of such private property shall not knowingly permit another to erect or maintain such sign on such private property.

(b) The person, firm, association or corporation whose name shall appear on said sign as the beneficiary of the advertising thereon shall be prima facie presumed to be the party guilty of erecting and maintaining the same, whether it be on a public road or street or on private property, within one fourth of a mile of the right-of-way of a public road or street.

(c) No owner or person in possession of private property upon which such sign or signs are erected shall allow said signs to remain on said premises or lands in his possession after having notice for 10 days that the sign or signs are on his premises or land in his possession.

(d) The sheriff of every county in which such signs have been erected or may hereafter be erected shall report the facts to the grand jury of his county giving the name or names of such person, firm, association or corporation erecting or maintaining such sign or signs.

(e) Any person, firm, association or corporation, or agent or employee thereof, violating the provisions of subsections (a) through (d) of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction, shall be fined not less than $25.00 nor more than $100.00 for each offense in erecting such signs, or in knowingly permitting such signs to be erected on his premises, as before defined, and for maintaining such signs, or knowingly permitting such signs to be maintained on his premises, shall be fined not less than $25.00 for every day that such sign or signs shall be maintained.

(f) Nothing in subsections (a) through (e) of this section shall be so construed as to prevent any railroad company from erecting and maintaining at road crossings proper danger signals or signs.

(Acts 1919, No. 163, p. 151; Code 1923, §§5343-5348; Code 1940, T. 48, §§445-450.)