Planning commission recommends updated communication-tower ordinance with larger setbacks and added monitoring

The Nevada County Planning Commission on Feb. 26 voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors adopt revisions to the county Communication Towers and Facilities Ordinance intended to modernize rules for cell sites and related equipment.

Planning staff presented the draft as a balance between broadband expansion and neighborhood protection. "This presentation before you today is about Proposed Amendments to the Nevada County Communication Towers and Facilities Ordinance," David Nicholas, associate planner, told the commission, outlining changes that include updated definitions, exemptions for certain small wireless facilities, greater public notice and requirements for post‑installation radio‑frequency (RF) verification.

Why it matters: the county’s ordinance had not been substantially updated in two decades, and commissioners and residents said new rules are needed because of advances in wireless technology, concerns about neighborhood compatibility, and wildfire risk. Staff proposed raising the concealment standard and increasing public notice from a typical 300–500 feet to a 1,000‑foot pre‑application and hearing notification radius, and recommended a new setback standard equal…