Are there any federal laws in the United States regulating non-digital billboards?

Question

Billboards can be quite a distraction to drivers, and some cities have banned digital billboards. However, I haven't been able to find any information on non-digital billboards, which don't seem to be significantly less distracting in many cases.

Are there any federal laws regulating non-digital billboards to lessen distractions for drivers?

I ask for federal laws because of applications to interstate highways. I don't know if any regulations would be applied by states or by the federal government, since billboards by the boundary of a state can distract drivers on both sides of the state line.

Answer 1

For interstate and federal highways at least, there are regulations. For example, the billboards in Times Square are illegal.

But it turns out this billboard, and others plastering Times Square, may actually be illegal. Under a federal highway beautification law, the billboards are too big – the law states that [billboards] should not be larger than 1200 square feet.

Last week, the city’s transportation commissioner said the billboards may have to be taken down, or New York could risk losing ten percent of its federal highway funds.

The Highway Beautification Act and various amendments can be referenced here.