Roadside Advertising

In accordance with Article 13 of the Road Act of the Federation of BH (Official Gazette of the FBH, No. 12/10), Roads of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is responsible for management, reconstruction, maintenance and safety of main roads. Article 80 of the said act defines public responsibilities of the road manager, i.e. issuance of approvals/ permits for placement of roadside advertising (billboards and ads).

In accordance with Article 6 of the Ordinance on Placement of Roadside Advertising (Official Gazette of the FBH, No. 75/10)), the right to place a roadside advertising have all legal and natural entity equally. Furthermore, in accordance with Article 7 of the said ordinance, prior to provision of the necessary approval/ permit, the applicant shall submit a pertaining application form to the relevant authority which shall provide site visit and establish the micro-location of future sign.

Subsequently, the Roads of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina shall issue general approval (i.e. act in the form of amendments to the document) based on which the applicant shall obtain the following documentation:

  • proof of solved property-legal relations,
  • urban approval or site information issued by the relevant authority for spatial planning and construction (i.e. for advertising signs with surface above 2,00 m2),
  • a copy of the cadastre of underground utilities (if available); and
  • pay the pertaining fees.

Urban approval or site information issued by the relevant authority for spatial planning and construction is not necessary for placement of roadside advertising with surface under 2,00 m2. However, for placement of roadside advertising with surface above 12 m2, the applicant shall obtain the construction permit from the relevant authority for spatial planning and construction.

After obtaining the necessary documentation, Roads of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina shall issue a decision for placement of roadside advertising, following which the applicant can precede with its placement.

Article 19 of the current Road Safety Act of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BH, No. 6/06) provides for the prohibition of roadside advertising that reduce the road's clearance and visibility in the intersections or provision of any activity that might endanger or obstruct traffic over a public road or cause damage to road and road structure. Furthermore, it defines minimum distance for the placement of roadside advertising (outside the settlements - 10,00 m from the most distant point of cross profile of the main road).

According to the adopted „Guidelines for Road Design, Construction, Maintenance and Supervision from 2015,“ advertising and information signs should not be placed in a triangular view in the connections and intersections or at distance under 150,00 m from the intersection.

In accordance with Article 5 of the Ordinance on Placement of Roadside Advertising (Official Gazette of the FBH, No. 75/10) advertisement restriction areas are: crossings, sharp bends and crests, road structures (i.e. tunnel portals and tunnel tubes, bridges, overpasses, etc.), intersections of public roads and railways, together with other traffic signs, at a distance under 30 meters from the traffic signs. Illuminated advertisements should not be located within the direct line of sight of drivers approaching the sign or shouldn’t scatter lights in intermittent intervals.

Placement of advertising outside the main road reserve, i.e. at a distance of 20,00 m from the road reserve on either road side, is not defined by the above.