A. For the purpose of this Section, all definitions in G.S. § 160D-931 shall apply unless otherwise defined below. The words “shall’ and “will” are mandatory, and “may” is permissive.
1. Antenna means communications equipment that transmits or receives electromagnetic radio frequency signals used in providing wireless services or other communications services.
2. Applicant means a person who submits an application, who may be the property owner or agent of the wireless provider.
3. Application means a request submitted by an applicant to the City for a permit for a wireless telecommunication facility.
4. City means the City of Monroe, North Carolina, a municipal corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina.
5. Collocation. The placement, installation, maintenance, modification, operation, or replacement of wireless facilities on, under, within, or on the surface of the earth adjacent to existing structures, including utility poles, water support structures, buildings, and other structures capable of structurally supporting the attachment of wireless facilities in compliance with applicable codes. The term does not include the installation of new utility poles or wireless support structures.
6. Eligible Facilities Request. A request for modification of an existing wireless support structure or base station that involves collocation of new transmission equipment or replacement of transmission equipment, but does not include a substantial modification.
7. Micro Wireless Facility means a small wireless facility having dimensions no larger than twenty-four (24) inches in length, fifteen (15) inches in width, and twelve (12) inches in height and an exterior Antenna, if any, no longer than eleven (11) inches.
8. Public Right-of Way means land in which the City owns the fee or has an easement required for use as a transportation facility.
9. Small Wireless Facility means a wireless facility that meets all of the following qualifications:
a. Antennas associated with the facility are located inside an enclosure of no more than six (6) cubic feet in volume.
b. All other wireless equipment associated with the facility is cumulatively no more than twenty-eight (28) cubic feet in volume.
c. The following types of associated equipment are not included in the calculation of equipment volume: electric meters, concealment elements, telecommunications demarcation boxes, ground-based enclosures, grounding equipment, power transfer switches, cutoff switches, vertical cable runs for the connection of power and other services, and utility poles or other support structures.
10. Stealth Design means a method of camouflaging any support structure, antenna, wireless telecommunications facilities, or other ancillary supporting communications facility.
11. Substantial Modification means the mounting of a proposed wireless facility on a wireless support structure that substantially changes the physical dimensions of the support structure. A mounting is presumed to be a substantial modification if it meets any one or more of the following criteria:
a. Increasing the existing vertical height of the structure by the greater of (i) more than ten percent (10%) or (ii) the height of one additional antenna array with separation from the nearest existing antenna not to exceed twenty (20) feet.
b. Except where necessary to shelter the antenna from inclement weather or to connect the antenna to the support structure via cable, adding an appurtenance to the body of a wireless support structure that protrudes horizontally from the edge of the wireless support structure the greater of (i) more than twenty (20) feet or (ii) more than the width of the wireless support structure at the level of the appurtenance.
c. Increasing the square footage of the existing equipment compound by more than 2,500 square feet.
12. Utility Pole means a pole or similar structure used in whole or in part by the City or a private organization or private property to provide communications services, electric distribution, lighting, traffic control, signage or similar functions.
13. Wireless Provider means a wireless infrastructure provider or a wireless services provider.
14. Wireless Facilities means equipment at a fixed location which enables wireless telecommunications between user equipment and a communications network, including radio transceivers, antennas, wires, coaxial or fiber-optic cable or other cables, wireless support structures, associated equipment.