(A) General requirements. All communication towers shall meet the following requirements.
(1) Signage prohibitions. No signs or logos of any type shall be allowed on any communication tower.
(2) Compliance with other regulations. Any builder, user, carrier, and the like shall submit documentation that the communication tower and antennas will meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and applicable Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and comply with all other federal, state, or local laws and regulations. Approval by the FAA shall be submitted prior to the issuance of a zoning or building permit. At the time of application for a building or other county permit, the plans for the tower and antenna construction shall be certified by a structural engineer licensed to work in this state as meeting current safety and design standards of applicable codes.
(3) Co-location requirements. Towers shall be designed and constructed so as to support a minimum of three users.
(4) Subsequent co-location requirements. Subsequent co-location or shared use on existing communication towers or other structures which do not increase the height of the existing tower or structure shall not require a special use permit.
(5) Security fencing. There shall be a minimum eight-foot high fence installed around the perimeter of the tower compound. Security fencing shall not be required for accessory communication facilities.
(6) Replacement or alternation of nonconforming communication towers. Nonconforming towers shall be treated the same as any other nonconforming use.
(7) Removal of communication towers no longer in use. A tower whose continuous use for communication purposes has been discontinued for a period of 180 consecutive days shall be removed by the owner. DISCONTINUANCE, for purposes of this section, shall mean the voluntary termination or cessation of a use of the original permitted use.
(8) Public service access. At the request of the local governing authority a license shall be granted to the local governing authority to place public service communication antennas or other public service telecommunication devices on the communication tower, provided that such communication antennas or other telecommunication devices do not interfere with function of the antennas or array of antennas of the communication tower operator or other existing service providers located on the communication tower.
(B) Specific requirements.
(1) Setback requirements. All communication towers adjacent to any residential and nonresidential zoning district shall have a minimum setback of 100% of the tower’s height. For the purpose of this section, the height of an accessory communication facility shall be determined by the distance by which the accessory communication facility exceeds the height of principal structure to which the accessory communication facility is attached. In no case, however, shall the setback be less than the minimum setback required for the principal building or structure in the zoning district in which the principal building or structure is located.
(2) Co-location (shared use) requirements. Communication towers proposed to be located within a five-mile radius of another communication tower shall require co-location on such other communication tower. In the event that co-location is not feasible, the Board of Adjustment may issue a special use permit before a communication tower can be located within a five-mile radius of another communication tower. In no instance shall a communication tower be closer than one mile of another tower.
(3) Color. Communication towers shall be light gray except when otherwise required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
(4) Illumination. Communication towers in agricultural and residential districts shall be illuminated only as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Illumination shall not be oriented to project lighting onto surrounding residential properties.
(1996 Code, § 155.033) (Ord. passed 12-16-1996)