(1) A church, service club, or youth organization which conducts regular meetings may erect and maintain signs which give the name of the organization and the time and place at which regular meetings are held subject to the following criteria:

(a) Not more than a total of four signs may be erected by any one group, of which no more than three can face in the same direction of travel;

(b) Signs may not be more than five miles from where the meetings or functions are regularly held;

(c) The size of each new sign shall not exceed eight square feet;

(d) Signs must not exceed 30 feet in height, as measured from a right angle from the surface of the roadway at the centerline of the controlled route, or from a point on the sign structure which is at the same elevation as the crown of the roadway to the top of the highest sign face;

(e) Signs visible from controlled routes must not be located within 500 feet of an intersection in rural areas, or within 140 feet of an intersection in cities or towns;

(f) Signs visible from interstate highways must not be located within 500 feet of the gore of an interchange;

(g) Public forests, public playgrounds, and designated scenic areas shall be considered to be a conforming area with respect to the erection of these signs;

(h) Church and service club signs shall meet all general restrictions on characteristics for off-premise signs found in ARM 18.6.231;

(i) The activity advertised must be a regularly scheduled daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly meeting, function, or gathering which members of the traveling public using the highway will be likely to want to find and attend;

(j) This rule is not intended to cover advertising of annual events, such as county fairs, or activities which are continuously in existence such as a college or hospital. Further, it is not intended to cover advertising of sports events or other activities for which an admission fee is customarily charged.

(2) A permit must be obtained for each church or service club sign accompanied by a nonrefundable inspection fee. There is no initial permit fee or renewal fee for church or service club signs.