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Council amends setback rule for communication towers to allow public utilities to certify fall zones
Summary
On second reading, council approved an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that keeps a standard distance formula for most towers but allows towers owned by public utilities to meet separation via an engineer‑certified fall‑zone letter.
Florence City Council on second reading approved an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance changing setback language for communication towers so that towers owned and operated by public utility providers may measure separation from residential uses by the tower's certified fall zone rather than the UDO's standard formula.
Planning staff read the exact amended language into the record. Under the revised text, tower or antenna structures generally remain separated from the boundary line of a residential district or a residential property line "by a distance equal to 1 foot for each foot in height measured from the property line." The amendment adds an alternative for "tower or antenna structures owned and operated by a public utility provider" where separation may be the tower's fall zone "as determined and certified by an engineer licensed in the State of South Carolina in a letter that includes the engineer's signature and seal." The fall zone is measured from the boundary line of the residential district or property line of the residential use.
City staff clarified the change applies only to public‑utility providers; all other towers remain subject to the original separation requirement. Council members asked staff to confirm the certificate and engineer's seal language and to ensure the fall‑zone engineering documentation is retained in the development file. The measure passed on second reading with an affirmative voice vote.
Why this matters: the change retains a distance‑based standard for most towers but gives public utilities a path to site towers that may otherwise fail the strict distance formula so long as a licensed engineer certifies the fall‑zone calculation. The amendment may affect siting decisions for transmission, utility and other publicly owned tower infrastructure and clarifies enforcement and documentation expectations.
Council action: measure passed on second reading and will be incorporated into the Unified Development Ordinance as amended.
