Haryana tightens outdoor advertising framework with bye-law amendments

The Haryana government has notified draft amendments to the Haryana Municipal Advertisement Bye-laws, 2022, through an official gazette notification dated 25 September 2025. The proposed changes aim to bring greater clarity, transparency, and standardisation to the regulation of outdoor advertising across municipal areas in the state.  

The amendments span definitions, auction processes, site selection norms, format sizes, and the use of digital and innovative OOH formats, significantly impacting media owners, advertisers, and technology providers. 

Clearer definition of OMDs and introduction of clustering 

One of the most fundamental changes is the refinement of definitions. The amended bye-laws explicitly define an Outdoor Media Device (OMD) as an outdoor advertising device including both the advertisement material and its supporting structure. This removes earlier ambiguity around whether structures alone or content-bearing units were being regulated.  

Additionally, the concept of a “Cluster of OMDs” has been formally introduced, referring to the grouping of more than one OMD across different locations. This definition is particularly relevant for bundled auctions and large-format outdoor deployments across arterial corridors or zones. 

Auction framework tightened with bidder thresholds and EMD rules 

The amendments significantly restructure the auction process for municipal advertising rights. A minimum of three unique bidders per site is now required for an auction to proceed. If two consecutive auctions fail to attract three bidders, auctions may be conducted with two bidders, and after two further failed attempts, even a single bidder may be allowed.  

The rules also formalise the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) framework. Municipalities will demand an EMD equivalent to 10% of the reserve price, refundable only after successful completion of the bidding process. If a winning bidder declines the allotment post-auction, the EMD stands forfeited. 

Importantly, Haryana has reinforced e-auction as the preferred mode for granting advertisement rights on public property, allowing e-tendering only with specific departmental approval if auctions fail to elicit response. 

Standardised timelines for approvals and listings 

To reduce procedural delays, municipalities are now mandated to convey approval or rejection of applications within 30 days of submission. Approved sites must then be listed on the online advertisement portal within three days for auctioning. This is a notable move toward digitisation and time-bound governance in outdoor advertising administration.  

Mandatory municipal identification plates on OMDs 

A compliance-heavy but clarity-driven amendment requires every approved OMD to display a metallic identification plate, measuring at least one foot by one foot, embossed with municipal approval details and OMD particulars. Failure to display or maintain this plate will be treated as a violation, attracting penalties and potential cancellation of permission.  

Immediate removal of unauthorised outdoor advertisements 

The bye-laws empower municipalities to promptly remove and dispose of unauthorised outdoor advertisements, including standalone structures, on an “as-is, where-is” basis. This strengthens enforcement against illegal installations and signals stricter on-ground compliance going forward.  

Site selection norms: lateral and longitudinal distances defined 

The amendments lay down detailed lateral and longitudinal distance criteria for OMD placement. OMDs are prohibited within the Right of Way (RoW) under all circumstances. Minimum lateral distances are defined based on road type—national highways, state highways, scheduled roads, municipal roads, and sector roads—with a general requirement of five metres from the edge of the RoW in most cases.  

Longitudinal spacing between two OMDs along a road must be at least 75 metres, while OMDs are restricted within 75 metres of traffic intersections in the direction of incoming traffic and 50 metres in the outgoing direction. 

Digital, LED and innovative OOH: stricter but clearer rules 

The amendments introduce tighter controls on LED, LCD and 3D screens, restricting them largely to market areas, parking spaces, parks, walkways and public utility zones. Screens must not directly face moving traffic and are permitted at junctions only where traffic lights exist, with mandatory synchronisation to red-light cycles.  

Video or moving content is prohibited along traffic corridors; only static slide-based digital advertising is allowed, with a minimum one-minute gap between slides. 

At the same time, the policy remains open to new technologies, subject to government approval, and introduces a “Right of First Refusal” for innovator agencies that introduce new OMD formats.