Billboard Ground Lease

BILLBOARD GROUND LEASE

Effective date: [__/__/____]

This Billboard Ground Lease is between [OWNER'S LEGAL NAME] (Owner) and [OPERATOR'S LEGAL NAME] (Operator). Owner leases to Operator the limited site described below for one advertising sign structure, subject to this Lease.

1. Site and rights granted

Property address: [STREET, CITY, COUNTY, STATE]
Parcel or legal description: [ATTACH EXHIBIT A]
Exact sign site and footprint: [DIMENSIONS AND LOCATION; MARK ON EXHIBIT A]
Access route: [MARK ON EXHIBIT A]
Utilities and connection route, if any: [MARK ON EXHIBIT A / NONE]

Owner grants Operator the right to install, operate, maintain, replace, and remove the sign described in Section 2 within the site; to enter by the identified route at reasonable times for those purposes; and to use the listed utility route. The parties may specify a separate temporary construction area on Exhibit A. No other portion of the property is leased, and Operator receives no right to block Owner's ordinary use outside the marked areas. Owner represents that Owner has authority to grant these rights, subject to the title matters and third-party consents listed in Exhibit A.

Exclusivity, if agreed: ☐ None. ☐ During the term, Owner will not authorize another off-premises advertising sign within [DESCRIBED AREA] that materially obstructs this sign's agreed viewing corridor.

2. Approved sign and content

Structure type: [STATIC / DIGITAL / OTHER]
Number of faces and orientation: [DETAILS]
Maximum dimensions and height: [DETAILS]
Lighting, electrical draw, and hours: [DETAILS]
Construction drawings attached as: [EXHIBIT B / TO BE APPROVED IN WRITING]

Operator may change advertising copy without Owner's consent, subject to law and these content limits: [SPECIFIC AGREED LIMITS / NONE]. Any structural enlargement, additional face, changed orientation, or new utility path requires Owner's prior written consent and any required approvals. Operator will not display content that violates applicable law or a binding property restriction disclosed in Exhibit A. Owner does not promise any particular advertising revenue or uninterrupted visibility.

3. Permits and conditions to construction

Operator will determine and obtain the licenses, sign permits, zoning approvals, building permits, utility approvals, and inspections required for its sign and operations. Operator pays the related fees and provides Owner copies of issued approvals on request. Owner will reasonably sign accurate site-owner consent documents needed for an application, provided they impose no additional unreimbursed obligation on Owner. Owner authorizes placement of the sign at the site described in Exhibit A, subject to this Lease and all required approvals. This signed Lease is the parties' site permission; if an agency requires its own signed statement or form, the parties will complete that document separately.

Operator may not begin construction until it has obtained all required approvals and satisfied the title or lender consents listed in Exhibit A. If required approval is finally denied, or has not issued by [DATE] despite timely good-faith efforts, either party may end this Lease by written notice before construction begins. Operator will then restore any disturbed area and pay amounts accrued through termination. Owner makes no representation that a permit will issue or remain in force.

4. Term and rent

Initial term: [NUMBER] years, beginning on [DATE / THE DATE ALL SECTION 3 CONDITIONS ARE SATISFIED], and ending on [DATE OR CALCULATION].

Renewal: ☐ None. ☐ Operator may renew for [NUMBER] additional term(s) of [LENGTH] each by notice at least [NUMBER] days before the current term ends, while not in uncured material default.

Base rent: $[AMOUNT] per [MONTH / YEAR], due on the [DAY] of each period, beginning [DATE].
Annual adjustment, if any: [FIXED AMOUNT OR FORMULA / NONE].
Payment method and address: [DETAILS].
Late charge or interest, if any and permitted by law: [AMOUNT OR RATE / NONE].

Operator pays its utility use, construction and operating expenses, sign-related assessments, permit fees, and taxes attributable to the sign or Operator's business. Owner pays taxes and charges on the underlying parcel except to the extent an increase is separately assessed to the sign and allocated above. Neither party may promise a tax treatment to the other without checking local law.

5. Construction, access, and care

Operator will build and operate the sign in a safe, workmanlike manner using qualified contractors. Operator will keep the structure and site in good repair, maintain required permits, promptly address unsafe conditions, and avoid material interference with Owner's access, drainage, and existing improvements. Operator will repair physical damage caused by its work. Operator will give Owner [NUMBER] days' advance notice of planned major work, except for urgent safety work, and will coordinate reasonably with Owner's activities.

Power: [OPERATOR'S SEPARATE METER / AGREED ALLOCATION / NO POWER]. Operator bears installation and usage cost unless Exhibit B states otherwise.

Owner will not erect a new obstruction within an expressly protected viewing corridor shown on Exhibit A. If no corridor is shown, this Lease does not restrict Owner's development of the remainder of the property. The parties will discuss any proposed work that may affect safe access or visibility before it begins.

6. Insurance and responsibility

Before work begins and throughout the term, Operator will maintain commercial general liability insurance of at least $[AMOUNT] per occurrence and $[AMOUNT] aggregate, plus workers' compensation and other coverage required by applicable law. Operator will deliver certificates on request and name Owner as an additional insured on the liability policy for Operator's site operations, if available on commercially reasonable terms. Owner will maintain its own property coverage as it considers appropriate.

Each party is responsible for loss, injury, or damage to the extent caused by its own acts, omissions, or breach. Operator will defend and indemnify Owner against third-party claims arising from Operator's construction, sign, advertising content, or use of the site, except to the extent caused by Owner. Owner will defend and indemnify Operator against third-party claims arising from Owner's breach or acts, except to the extent caused by Operator. Neither party is released from liability for its own misconduct. These obligations survive termination for events occurring during the term.

7. Default and interruption

A party claiming a material breach will give written notice describing it. The receiving party has [NUMBER] days after receipt to cure a payment breach and [NUMBER] days to cure another breach, with reasonable additional time if cure begins promptly and proceeds diligently. If the breach remains uncured, the nonbreaching party may terminate by further written notice and pursue remedies allowed by the governing law. For an immediate safety hazard, either party may take reasonable emergency protective action and notify the other promptly.

If the sign cannot lawfully operate because a required permit is revoked or the site becomes unusable through casualty or government action, rent will [ABATE / CONTINUE] during the interruption. If the interruption continues for [NUMBER] days, either party may terminate by written notice. Neither party may intentionally cause the loss of an approval to trigger this paragraph.

8. Transfer, end of term, and removal

Operator may assign this Lease to [AN AFFILIATE / A QUALIFIED SIGN OPERATOR / ONLY WITH OWNER'S WRITTEN CONSENT], provided the assignee assumes Operator's obligations in writing. Owner may transfer the property subject to this Lease to the extent it binds a successor under applicable law. The parties will sign a short memorandum for recording only if they agree on its form, cost, and release; this Lease itself is not a deed.

Within [NUMBER] days after expiration or termination, Operator will remove its sign, foundations to [DEPTH], wiring and equipment, repair damage, and leave the affected area reasonably level and safe, ordinary wear excepted. Operator owns the removable sign equipment until removal. If it fails to remove equipment after written notice and an additional [NUMBER] days, Owner may use lawful remedies and recover reasonable removal and restoration costs. Any treatment of abandoned equipment is governed by applicable law; this Lease does not transfer title automatically. Accrued rent, restoration duties, and indemnity obligations survive termination.

9. Notices and general terms

Notices must be in writing and delivered by [PERSONAL DELIVERY / TRACKED MAIL / AGREED EMAIL WITH ACKNOWLEDGMENT] to the addresses below. A party may change its notice address by written notice. Property-state law: [STATE] law governs. This Lease is the entire agreement about the site and may be amended only by a writing signed by both parties. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to the extent they can operate. Counterparts and electronic signatures may be used to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Owner notice address and email: [DETAILS]
Operator notice address and email: [DETAILS]

OWNER
[LEGAL NAME]
By: [SIGNATURE]
Name and title: [DETAILS]
Date: [__/__/____]

OPERATOR
[LEGAL NAME]
By: [SIGNATURE]
Name and title: [DETAILS]
Date: [__/__/____]

Exhibit A — Site plan and existing restrictions

Attach a plan marking the parcel, exact footprint, access and utility routes, any protected viewing corridor, and any temporary construction area. List recorded easements, mortgages, existing leases, and consents relevant to the site: [DETAILS]. Both parties initial the final plan: Owner [____] Operator [____].

Exhibit B — Sign drawings and work plan

Attach the agreed plans, installation timetable, power arrangement, foundation specifications, and restoration standard: [DETAILS]. Both parties initial the final exhibit: Owner [____] Operator [____].

Before Signing — Remove This Section

Check the property record, local zoning and sign code, utility route, highway controls, and application forms for the actual site. Florida § 479.07(2)–(3) requires written site permission and a signed owner statement with a covered permit application; its local-government statement is a separate requirement. Texas § 391.067(a) requires a permit for a commercial sign when that provision applies. Those examples do not establish that every sign requires the same permit. Complete any agency-prescribed forms separately.