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Wireless Facilities Zoning Audit Checklist: ST ND RD
Wireless Facilities Zoning Audit Checklist: ST ND RD
Introduction
The deregulation of wireless telecommunications has resulted in extensive infrastructure deployment
by competitive service providers, each trying to gain and increase market share as quickly as possible.
With nine providers licensed in the Pinellas County service area, wireless telecommunication
infrastructure has become a new land use for which local planning agencies have had to create new
development standards and review processes.
It has been seven years since passage of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. It is now time for
local governments to assess the effectiveness of land use regulations adopted in response to the Act,
and to develop strategies for the next decade of deployments.
Zoning and other land development regulations reflect a communitys development objectives.
Therefore, while most of these regulations are unique, just as all communities are unique, they each
share some common goals relative to the wireless telecommunications industry, such as the desire to:
Tower proliferation is discouraged by making it easy to attach antennas to existing above ground
structures (rooftops, water tanks, towers), and by requiring any new towers to be engineered,
constructed, and marketed for use by more than one provider.
Planning agencies can encourage the installation of wireless facilities throughout the community with
the least amount of visual impact by first addressing the realities of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation wireless
deployment while maintaining local aesthetic values and complying with applicable law.
Clearly defined regulatory processes with fewer layers of approval for antenna collocations will not
only encourage them, but will also require less staff time for plan review. Allowing towers that meet
strict development standards intended to minimize the visual impact of the proposed facility as
permitted uses in some zoning districts is another way local governments can reduce the amount of
staff time required for development review.
The desire to generate revenue recognizes that jurisdictions have the ability to make available
something of value (infrastructure siting locations) to providers for which the jurisdictions should be
compensated.
In order to achieve these common goals, a zoning audit checklist is attached that can be used to
evaluate existing land use development standards.
2.
YES NO
Are wireless infrastructure exemptions contained in your zoning code or other land
development regulations (LDRs)? If so, what is exempted?
Amateur radio
Broadcast facilities
Satellite earth stations less than 2 meters in diameter
Other: _____________________________________________________
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
11.
YES
NO
12.
13.
14.
YES NO
19.
20.
21.
24.
25.
YES NO
YES NO
Other Issues
26.
Does your jurisdiction have zoning districts where flagpoles are not permitted?
27.
28.
29.
30.
Does your community have lease(s) with tower owner(s) or wireless provider(s)?
Tower leases
! The tower lease annual revenue is: $____________________________
Attachment/collocation leases
! The attachment/collocation lease annual revenue is: $______________
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
Administration
32.
33.