Tennessee Senate Bill 735 (SB0735), introduced on February 4, 2025, poses a grave threat to the state’s treasured scenic landscapes and community character. This dangerous bill mandates that just compensation be provided for the acquisition or removal of lawfully erected outdoor advertising devices and explicitly prohibits the use of amortization as a means of providing such compensation.

What’s Wrong with This Bill?

• Strips Local Control – Cities and counties lose the power to phase out billboards through amortization, a long-standing and cost-effective method for reducing billboard blight without massive payouts to advertisers.
• Makes Billboards Nearly Impossible to Remove – Under SB0735, billboards become de facto permanent, unless governments pay full “just compensation” (often tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per sign).
• Prioritizes Corporate Profits Over Communities – The bill only benefits billboard companies, forcing taxpayers to foot the bill while local communities lose their right to shape their public spaces.
• Threatens Tennessee’s Economy and Natural Beauty – Billboards diminish property values, degrade Tennessee’s scenic character, and harm tourism, one of the state’s biggest economic drivers.

At first glance, SB0735 may appear to safeguard property rights, but beneath the surface, it strips communities of a critical tool used to manage billboard blight. Amortization has long been an effective, cost-efficient method that allows for the gradual removal of non-conforming billboards without placing an undue financial burden on taxpayers. By banning this practice, SB0735 effectively handcuffs local governments, forcing them to either tolerate unsightly, outdated billboards indefinitely or face exorbitant costs to remove them.

The consequences of this bill are dire. SB0735 would make the removal of billboards much more difficult, effectively rendering billboards as permanent structures unless exorbitant just compensation fees are met. Such impacts would profoundly degrade Tennessee’s natural beauty, diminish property values, and undermine efforts to attract tourism—one of the state’s vital economic drivers. Communities would lose their ability to control visual clutter, leaving public spaces dominated by commercial interests at the expense of residents’ quality of life and environmental integrity.

Moreover, this bill sets a dangerous precedent. It prioritizes the profits of billboard companies over the rights of communities to maintain clean, green, and visually appealing environments. Scenic America stands firmly against SB0735 because it jeopardizes not only Tennessee’s scenic landscapes but also the democratic principle that local communities should have a say in shaping their surroundings.

Please stay tuned to Scenic America for more information and how we can fight this dangerous bill.