Are Billboards Ruining Michigan? Where We Stand Nationally

Growing up in Grand Rapids, we're not strangers to billboards shoved in our faces every couple of feet going along US-131. As of 2023, there are an estimated 450 billboards in Grand Rapids alone.

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Then, the billboards space out and you can appreciate Pure Michigan. But Michigan has an outrageous 23,000 billboards around the state (not including digital billboards), the third most in the entire country. Considering Michigan places such an emphasis on its natural beauty, it's ridiculous that so much of it is blighted by billboards that impede its beauty.

So, is it time for Michigan to put its foot down and outright ban billboards around the State?

Billboard Ban

Currently, four states in the country- Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont- have complete bans on billboards. These bans were put in place to preserve nature throughout the states, and Michigan would do well to follow in their footsteps.

Read More: Cracking The Code Of This MI Billboard Campaign |

Already, cities and communities throughout Michigan have imposed their own restrictions on new billboard construction or capped the number of billboards along highways. Grand Rapids itself has a plan to reduce the number of billboards overall in exchange for digital billboards.

It should be noted that the city's decision on how to handle billboards dates back to 1966.

Change is Difficult

As an advertising and public relations major, I understand the economic value of billboards. They can be a significant source of income for their owners, making them particularly difficult to remove.

A 2013 case in Minnesota documents that the Department of Transportation had to pay $4.3 million in public funds to remove a single digital billboard because its owners overvalued it.

Saying that it would be a challenge to remove even a small number of billboards around the state would be an understatement, especially in Minnesota's case, but it could lead to long-term benefits for the State's overall wellness.