Local Billboard Company Challenges City’s Sign Ordinance as Being Unconstitutional

By Bryan S. Strawbridge, Frost Brown Todd LLC

An Indianapolis-based billboard company filed suit on October 5 challenging the constitutionality of Indianapolis’ sign ordinance based upon recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent. GEFT Outdoor LLC filed suit against the City of Indianapolis in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 1:15-cv-01568-SEB-MJD, asserting that Reed v. Town of Gilbert, AZ, 135 S. Ct. 2218 (2015) (unanimously holding that regulations limiting the size of signs announcing church services are unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds), precludes the City from distinguishing between “on premises” and “off premises” signage. Currently, digital signs are permitted “on premises” to advertise for a business at that locale, whereas digital signs are not permitted on locations off site from a business’s operations. The IBJ has more.

This article was written by Bryan S. Strawbridge, Frost Brown Todd LLC. If you would like to submit content or write an article for the Litigation Section page, please email Rachel Beachy at rbeachy@indybar.org.