Orange County NC Website
Article 5: Uses 35 <br /> Section 5.10: Standards for Telecommunication Facilities <br /> • <br /> (d) The Inspections Division may conduct periodic inspections of <br /> telecommunications towers to ensure electrical integrity. The owner of <br /> the telecommunication tower may be required by the County to have <br /> more frequent inspections should there be reason to believe that the • <br /> electrical integrity of the tower is jeopardized. The County reserves the <br /> right to require additional inspections if there is evidence that the tower <br /> has a safety problem or is exposed to extraordinary conditions. <br /> (e) Any tower found,through inspection by the owner or by inspection of the <br /> Inspections Division, to be structurally unsafe and cannot be brought into <br /> compliance within 180 days shall be removed at the owner's expense. <br /> (f) Current or former EIA standards shall apply to the addition of antennas <br /> or other appurtenances to communications towers under the following <br /> conditions: <br /> (i) Additions to towers constructed prior to the effective date of this <br /> Ordinance, regardless of whether the additions are accounted for <br /> in the original design, shall comply with the current EIA <br /> standards, and the wind loading specified therein.Additions to <br /> towers constructed subsequent to the effective date of this <br /> Ordinance shall comply with standards set forth elsewhere in this <br /> Section. <br /> (ii) Existing towers that will not have any additional attached <br /> appurtenances shall at a minimum comply with the EIA <br /> standards in existence at the time the tower was erected. <br /> (iii) Replacement of antennas or other appurtenances shall at a <br /> minimum comply with the EIA standard in existence at the time <br /> the tower was erected if the replacement does not add to the <br /> original design loading. <br /> (iv) If a structural analysis shows a tower is not in compliance with <br /> the appropriate EIA standards,the owner shall submit an <br /> application to the Inspections Division with a plan to bring the <br /> tower into compliance within six months. <br /> (v) Analysis of Existing Towers <br /> a. Within 12 months of the effective date of this Ordinance <br /> an analysis commissioned by tower owners and <br /> prepared by a North Carolina Licensed Professional <br /> Engineer(P.E. Analysis)shall be performed on all <br /> towers in excess of 100 feet in height and shall be <br /> submitted to the Inspections Division. <br /> b. The analysis shall determine the tower's compliance or <br /> lack thereof with the EIA standard in effect at the time <br /> the tower was constructed and when the most recent <br /> structural loading change was made. <br /> c. For all towers less than six years old, a current existing <br /> P.E. analysis of the tower may be submitted in lieu of the <br /> new P. E. analysis required above. <br /> d. If the tower does not meet the aforementioned EIA <br /> standards, the letter or existing P.E. analysis shall <br /> include the types of modifications that would be required <br /> to bring the tower up to standard. <br /> e. All existing towers shall be subject to the annual <br /> electrical inspection conducted by the Inspections <br /> Division including any associated inspection fees. <br /> Orange County,North Carolina—Unified Development Ordinance Page 5-100 <br />