In addition to the fees set forth in Section 5485, no application for an original permit to place an advertising structure shall be accepted by the department unless it is also accompanied by an application fee of three hundred dollars ($300). The application fee shall be retained by the department whether or not a permit is issued.
An applicant may request a preliminary determination as to whether a proposed structure and location would be legally eligible for a state permit upon submission of a fee of two hundred dollars ($200), one hundred dollars ($100) of which shall be credited toward an application fee for an original permit at this location if a permit is applied for within one year of the response to the request for preliminary determination.