Federal funding is tied to compliance and serves as an enforcement mechanism for state and local governments.<ref>{{USCode|23|109}}(d)</ref><ref name="FAQ" /> For private property owners, FHWA recommends "encouragement" rather than punishment.<ref name="FAQ" /> The use of non-compliant devices can also create liability in [[tort]] lawsuits for private owners and some governments.<ref name="FAQ" />
From 2014 to 2018, New York placed over 500 non-compliant "[[I Love New York]]" tourism destination signs along its highways and expressways to boostencourage tourismtourists to visit nearby destinations, especially in economically depressed [[Upstate New York]].<ref name="Campbell">{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Jon |title=New NY highway signs are illegal, feds say |url=https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/politics/blogs/vote-up/2016/11/02/ny-highway-signs-illegal/93173466/ |work=pressconnects.com |date=November 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Campbell2">{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Jon |title=Feds say no, but NY replacing wind-swept signs |url=https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/new-york/2017/03/20/wind-swept-love-ny-signs/99429148/ |work=pressconnects.com |date=March 20, 2017}}</ref> FHWA contended that the signs violated numerous MUTCD rules, along with the general principle of the MUTCD that signs should be simple so that they are "easy to identify, comprehend and understand in a matter of seconds as you are driving".<ref name="Campbell" /> After FHWA threatened to withhold $14 million in federal funding, New York removed the signs in November 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=I (No Longer) Love New York? Feds Make State Take Down Tourism Signs |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/i-love-ny-roadside-signs/ |work=CBS News New York |date=November 9, 2018}}</ref>
