Putting up a tower-check ordinances!

[Viper43]

Before putting up a tower you need to check your county, city ordinances, even if your a HAM radio operator. I just found out this week that my own county joined a growing list of counties and cities trying to limit antenna towers, this includes towers used for amature radio, TV, scanner,satellite, and CB etc. The whole jist of it another way for local governments to get more $$ out of you. Oddly enough there are no inspections, no construction requirements and so forth, they just don't want you to be over 48 feet! UH??? Yup. wanna go higher.... get a Variance and "prove" you need to go higher.
Here the cost is:
Special Exception $200
Variance: $300 requiered for certain cases where the tower "could" fall onto anothers property or too close to property line etc.
So here it could cost as much as $500 to put up a tower in addition to the other costs of the tower, ground system, cable etc.

It's obvious that the whole deal is simply to get more money for the county and really has nothing to do with safety. If it were a safety issue I would gladly pay $50 or so to have them come out and inspect the footer and so forthbefore and after it's poured, but since there is no such requirement that shows it's just a money grab and if you pay the $$ you'll most likely get the "permit" as long as a neighbor doesn't put up too much of a stink about it. And once you have the permit go ahead and install it..... they don't care if it's safe or not!

V

 

[kb2vxa]

And then there is the ever expanding pool of HOA Nazis that prohibit anything they don't like which is anything they don't have. Actually they're more like Communists, cookie cutter communities presided over by the local Czar, Councilman or Freeholder.

Oh give me a home
Where the buffalo roam
And towers are pretty sight
Where never is heard
A whining yuppie turd
And trespassers are shot dead on sight

Ohms ohms on meter range
Where resistors and capacitors play
Where towers climb high
To the clouds in the sky
And I QSO 5/9 all the way

Now here's a ham NOBODY messes with!

 

[KC0QNB]

Whats interesting is that in the near future people will want to have off the air digital TV
in order to do that you need an antenna, a very good antenna. You know the guy down the street that has a swimming pool and a 4 car garage, but cable is too expensive.
Personally a well designed tower installation is prettier than one of horrid little satellite dishes, spouting up all over the place.
There will be a time when there will be a major disaster and the phones and internet will be out for days, weeks or even months, and that same guy will want to talk to his brother in the Bahamas, only one way to do that, ham radio and a tall tower with a tri-bander on top of it. Well ok two ways satellite phone is another.

 

[trooperdude]

Runs > $1K here with all of the permit, site plan drawing and inspection fees rolled up together.

And you can't go higher than you are distance from the property line.. again without a variance and engineering reports.

Oh, and if your footer is deeper than 4 ft, you have to get a soil report for another $500

And if you are in a specially zoned rural "view" area, it's another $520 for a design review and an open comment period for the neighbors to object.

 

[KC0QNB]

Good grief, I am glad in in nowheresville nebraska. 10 bucks for the permit, and I can't go higher than 50 feet, I can live with that, oh and it has to be "behind the house"
There are houses for sale here some have "grandfathered" towers from the good old days BC (before cable) the one across the street is easily 70 feet, house is for sale.. well after the Doctor's daughter moves out.

 

[hoser147]

And then there is the ever expanding pool of HOA Nazis that prohibit anything they don't like which is anything they don't have. Actually they're more like Communists, cookie cutter communities presided over by the local Czar, Councilman or Freeholder.

Oh give me a home
Where the buffalo roam
And towers are pretty sight
Where never is heard
A whining yuppie turd
And trespassers are shot dead on sight

Ohms ohms on meter range
Where resistors and capacitors play
Where towers climb high
To the clouds in the sky
And I QSO 5/9 all the way

Now here's a ham NOBODY messes with!

,:lol: Warren I dub you the Unofficial RR Songwriter............

 

[jon_k]

Variance: $300 requiered for certain cases where the tower "could" fall onto anothers property or too close to property line etc.

The cool thing is, the $300 for "falling on anothers property" deposit is non refundable after removing the tower.

Further, if a tower does fall -- the property owner damaged does not get the money. They do not see any benefit from the deposit you make. They still have to file a claim on their property/house insurance and/or eat the cost themselves.

So it's a fee "In case a tower falls we need $300, but the money will not help the victim of the fell tower in any way. It helps the county weather the tower ever falls or not. PAPERS PLEASE."

 

[K4DHR]

The cool thing is, the $300 for "falling on anothers property" deposit is non refundable after removing the tower.

Further, if a tower does fall -- the property owner damaged does not get the money. They do not see any benefit from the deposit you make. They still have to file a claim on their property/house insurance and/or eat the cost themselves.

So it's a fee "In case a tower falls we need $300, but the money will not help the victim of the fell tower in any way. It helps the county weather the tower ever falls or not. PAPERS PLEASE."

That's one of those cases where I'd be at the next council meeting where there is open public discussion and make those jokers justify charging the fee if the sole stated reason is for the tower "falling on anothers' property".

I think folks get WAY too wrapped up in national politics sometimes and ignore how their city councils and county commissions just nickle and dime you to death with stupid stuff like that.