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Nevada County adopts stricter cell-tower rules after hours of public comment
Summary
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously April 14 to adopt amendments to the county's Communication Towers and Facilities Ordinance, adding larger setbacks, expanded notice, post-installation RF verification and maintenance requirements after months of outreach and a lengthy public hearing that drew dozens of callers and speakers.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously April 14 to adopt a package of amendments to the county's Communication Towers and Facilities Ordinance intended to strengthen neighborhood protections while preserving carriers' ability to expand broadband.
The ordinance increases notice requirements and application materials, adds post-installation radio-frequency verification and maintenance obligations, and ties siting and visual-impact standards to Federal Communications Commission definitions, planners said. The measure also raises setback requirements to a proportional 150% of tower height in many cases, a change staff said balances community compatibility and network feasibility.
"We updated the stated purposes and clarified definitions to align with the FCC," David Nicholas, associate planner, told the board during a detailed presentation of proposed edits. He said the changes require a…
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