Patna: Shopkeepers across Bihar’s urban areas, including Patna, will now be required to pay an advertising fee for displaying signage that promotes any brand other than their own. The fee will be calculated per square foot and will be determined by the respective municipal bodies under the newly notified Bihar Municipal Area Advertisement Amendment Rules, 2025.
The revised rules, recently approved by the state cabinet and formally notified, will soon be enforced across all municipal bodies in the state. They apply to any individual or agency that installs, publishes or affixes advertisements visible from public spaces on land, buildings, hoardings, frames or structures.
Municipal licenses will now be mandatory for such advertisements, with a licensing fee set out in the new regulations. The entire process—including applications, payments and bidding—will be facilitated through an online portal or e-procurement platform.
The advertising fee rates will be determined via an e-tender process. The Urban Development and Housing Department retains the authority to revise base rates through notification as needed.
The amendment also empowers municipal bodies to remove advertisements that violate content norms. Advertisements deemed negative—such as those depicting nudity, promoting intoxicants, inciting racial differences, exploiting women or children, glorifying violence, or ridiculing individuals or brands—will be subject to removal.
