Rules for building and maintaining telecommunication towers

(a) A telecommunication antenna or tower shall be permitted in all zoning districts; provided that the antenna, tower, and its use are not hazardous or dangerous to the surrounding area and the director has issued plan approval for such use. Co- location of antennas upon an existing privately owned tower and expansion of related support equipment within the project site is permitted provided, the director issued plan approval or other relevant approval for the existing tower, base station, or other antenna support structure. The ground lease areas of co-locating carriers must be adjacent to the existing ground lease area and not located within the open yard setback areas, and the co-location must not result in a ‘substantial change’, as defined in Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 1.6100. Co-location that results in a ‘substantial change’ to the tower height or ground lease area, as defined by the Federal Communication Commission, requires issuance of a new plan approval. (b) Telecommunication facilities developed by government agencies primarily to protect public health, safety, and welfare, including but not limited to facilities for police, fire, ambulance, and other emergency dispatch services, shall be exempt from the telecommunication antenna and tower requirements provided in this chapter. (c) The minimum lot size requirements for telecommunication towers are as follows: (1) The minimum lot size for the placement of any telecommunication tower within the A, FA, IA and O zoning districts shall be five acres. (2) The minimum lot size for the placement of any telecommunication tower within a RS, RD, RM and RA zoning districts shall be one acre. (3) No minimum lot size shall be required for the placement of telecommunication towers within the V, CN, CG, CV, MCX, ML, MG and CDH zoning districts. The minimum lot size may be reduced, upon finding that the issuance of a variance by the director will not result in adverse impacts, including but not limited to noise, light, glare, visual, drainage, or other detrimental effects to adjacent properties. (d) Except when located within the V, CN, CG, CV, MCX, ML, MG, or CDH districts, a telecommunication tower shall be set back from every property line by a distance not less than one hundred and twenty percent of the tower height as measured from the ground level and not less than six hundred feet from any residence or school. (e) Fencing and Safety Measures. Telecommunication towers must be enclosed by fencing a minimum of six feet in height, and towers must be equipped with an anti- climbing device. (f) The tower, together with the initial antennas or other equipment proposed to be installed thereon, shall: (1) Comply with the building code; and (2) Where feasible, be equipped with: (A) A redundant power supply capable of providing sufficient power for no less than twenty-four hours; and (B) Secondary data transmission capabilities that can support mass notification messaging during a disaster. 25-53 SUPP. 19 (1-2026) (g) The telecommunication antennas and tower shall comply with all applicable rules, regulations and requirements of affected agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission. All exterior lighting, except safety beacons required by the FAA, shall be: (1) Fully shielded so that the bulb is not visible from any point above the height of the bulb; and (2) Turned off when human activity is not occurring in the lighted area. (h) Should any state or federally listed or endangered species be found on the subject property, the applicant shall comply with all applicable requirements of Department of Land and Natural Resources-Division of Forestry and Wildlife and/or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (i) Within one hundred twenty days of the permanent abandonment of the tower, the applicant shall remove the tower and its antenna and accessory structures (including the equipment building and the fence), down to, but not including the concrete foundation. The applicant shall immediately provide written notification to the director of the termination of the telecommunication tower and related improvements and the removal of all structures. (j) The director may require any conditions or changes in the location and design of telecommunication antennas and towers necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and the natural beauty chapter of the general plan. These conditions or changes may include but not be limited to requiring stealth design (e.g., monopine, monopalm) in order to reduce visual impacts to surrounding properties. If the proposed site is located within an area of natural beauty as designated by the general plan or is located along a roadway, bikeway, trail, or park used by the public, the director may require an on-site or off-site relocation of the telecommunication tower to mitigate visual impacts. (1996, ord 96-160, sec 2; ratified April 6, 1999; am 2010, ord 10-17, sec 3; am 2011, ord 11-25, sec 2; am 2025, ord 25-55, sec 7.)25-4-12