173.085 STAR CITY AND COUNTY SIGNS.
Subdivision 1.
Authority to erect. (a) A county or lesser populated statutory or home rule
charter city of Minnesota that has received instruction and expertise from the Department of
Employment and Economic Development on attracting and retaining businesses for the county or
city and subsequently has been designated and annually recertified as a star county or star city for
economic development by that department may erect star county or star city signs upon payment
of a fee required under section
173.13, subdivision 4, to the Department of Transportation. In the
case of star cities, one sign may be erected at each approach to the city within the right-of-way
of an interstate or other highway that passes inside the city limits. In the case of star counties,
one sign may be erected within the right-of-way of an interstate or other highway at or near the
point where the highway enters the county.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), a lesser populated statutory or home
rule charter city that has an official sign in an adjacent area of an approach of an interstate
highway passing through or near the city as of August 1, 1985, may replace that sign with a star
city sign upon payment of a fee required under section
173.13, subdivision 4, to the Department
of Transportation. A county that has an official sign on the right-of-way or adjacent area of
an interstate highway at the point where the highway enters the county may replace that sign
with a star county sign on payment of a fee required under section
173.13, subdivision 4, to
the Department of Transportation.
Subd. 2.
Sign standards. The Department of Transportation shall design and manufacture
the star county and star city signs to specifications not contrary to other federal and state highway
sign standards and substantially similar to those star city signs approved for display on state
highways as of August 1, 1985.
History: 1985 c 25 s 4; 1987 c 312 art 1 s 26 subd 2; 1988 c 636 s 12; 1988 c 698 s 3;
1Sp2003 c 4 s 1