I've experienced three kinds of bureaucrats in several permitting processes:
1. Antagonistic - I'm going to keep you from doing this. Some so bold
to actually say that. Using their power to apply their personal values
or politics to my application.
2. Lawful - here is what the codes say and if you do that it will be
approved.
3. Helpful - If you modify x, y, or z, you will conform to what the code
allows.
My last tower permit had all three participants.
#1 - Planning Dept - You need test borings and full geotechnical study,
we don't allow towers this big (there is no code on heights)
#2 - Health Dept - the base concrete has no effect on septic or well,
immediately signed off.
#3 - Building Permit - #1 request is strange, let's ask the county
engineer. Engineer - "your ground pressure is less than human foot
loads from standing there, #1 is an idiot" immediately signed off w/o
tests.
#1 got her revenge - "we are going to apply commercial tower codes to
this tower". So I hired a lawyer to read her the line in the commercial
codes. "Amateur radio towers are exempt from the provisions of this
section." (a must statement if your municipality is considering tower
codes, which get very expansive with the intent to control cell tower
proliferation).
So now I have a big permitted tower, and one bureaucrat that I hope is
retired when I need my next permit.
If you can access contractors or architects who deal with the involved
agencies on a regular basis, talk to them about who to work with.
Then there are some funny stories about residential inspectors doing
finals on my towers. It's not in their wheelhouse.
Grant KZ1W
On 6/28/2019 6:00 AM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
Dick, wear your scars with pride.?? You might not get public recognition
for "blazing the trail" for others but you are a good role model.?? Kudos
to your legal assistance too.
Patrick?????????????? NJ5G
On 6/28/2019 7:04 AM, Dick's wrote:
Just a comment about ???Up The Tower??? by Steve- I am so glad I bought
that book before my tower installation. Besides all the advice he
gave, he also gave the pros and cons about getting a permit from the
local government before construction. I decided to go ahead and obtain
a permit, so no neighbors in my subdivision would have a future valid
complaint about it.
The process of getting the permit took months because I was initially
denied the permit. They said that the County didn???t have any rules
concerning ham radio towers (legally known as ???antenna support
structures???). I told them that (1) since it wasn???t addressed, they had
no right to deny me as I was not violating any written rule, and that
(2) the County was violating both Federal and State guidelines where
they could not unreasonably deny me a permit for a structure less than
90??? high. They still refused to budge.
It was at this time I sought the pro-bono help of a local attorney who
had volunteered through ARRL. It took a couple of additional months,
but that attorney convinced the County???s attorney of how embarrassing
it would become if they were taken to court, just like a recent case
he won against an adjacent county.
Bottom line- I was the only ham in my County who ever had applied for
a permit to put up a tower and now it has paved the way for others.
Dick, K0CAT
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