Transmission Towers.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 295-413
in effect295-413. Transmission Towers.
1. LIMITED USE STANDARDS. Whenever a transmission tower is a limited use, the permit applicant shall submit, to the department, plans and other permit application materials which demonstrate that the facility will comply with the following standards. If the department finds that the tower will not meet these standards, the tower may only be permitted upon the granting of a special use permit by the board.
a. All ground-level equipment, storage buildings and structural support elements shall be screened by a landscaped buffer which completely surrounds such equipment or structures, except for necessary openings for sidewalks or driveways that provide access to the equipment or structures. The buffer shall be located no farther than 5 feet from the equipment or structures, measured at the nearest point of the buffer to the equipment or structures. The buffer shall be at least 5 feet wide and meet the standards for type “G” landscaping set forth in s. 295-405-7-a-7.
b. All access drives shall be paved.
c. The tower shall not be illuminated except as required by the federal aviation administration or other applicable government regulations.
d. If the tower is freestanding and any abutting property contains one or more dwelling units or a structure for which an occupancy certificate is required, the base of the tower shall be set back from the property lines of such abutting property a distance equal to at least 25% of the tower’s height.
e. No structure other than related accessory structures may be located in an area 20 feet on each side of the radial line between the center of the transmission tower and each guy anchorage.
f. No tower guy anchor or enclosure for the same may be located closer than 30 feet to any lot line, street line or street line extended if the abutting property contains one or more dwelling units or a structure for which an occupancy certificate is required.
g. The tower’s design shall be as advanced as technologically feasible and appropriate for individual site characteristics and proximity to other buildings and uses.
h. If the tower will be located within 1,000 linear feet of any dwelling unit or any structure for which an occupancy certificate is required, the tower permit applicant shall take steps to protect such dwelling units and structures from adverse impacts of the tower. Such steps may include installation of landscaping or buffering beyond what is required in this subsection, provision of informational materials about the construction and operation of the tower, and scheduling of informational meetings with owners and residents of abutting properties to discuss tower design and construction.
i. The transmission tower permit applicant shall provide a written statement that the permit applicant has made every reasonable effort to locate reception/transmission systems on existing structures. This statement shall be accompanied by documentation that demonstrates that such efforts have been made.
j. When a new transmission tower is erected, it shall be designed to accommodate multiple reception/transmission systems and related equipment. A tower for television or radio facilities shall be designed to support at least 3 additional reception/transmission systems having power equal to or greater than that of the reception/transmission system which the tower is initially built to support. For any transmission tower other than a tower for television or radio facilities, the minimum total number of reception/transmission systems the tower shall be designed to accommodate shall be as follows:
Tower Height Number of Reception/Transmission Systems
0-50 feet 1
51-150 feet 2
151-250 feet 4
251-350 feet 6
over 350 feet 6 plus 2 for each 100 feet or fraction
thereof over 350 feet
k. In addition to presenting a tower design which can accommodate multiple reception/transmission systems and related equipment as required by par. j, the permit applicant shall provide a written statement indicating that the owner or developer will, on a nondiscriminatory basis, make the space provided for multiple reception/transmission systems available to other tower users. To the extent not precluded by physical, mechanical or regulatory limitations, the tower owner or developer shall allow for co-location of reception/transmission systems on the tower at fair market rental rates. The statement may be accompanied by supporting documentation which describes the tower owner or developer’s record of making space on the owner or developer’s other towers available to other users.
L. If the tower will be used for the transmission of television or radio signals, the tower owner or developer shall provide evidence that construction of the tower may ultimately lead to a net reduction in the total number of transmission towers in the city.
m. No existing transmission tower shall be located within 500 feet of the proposed tower location.
2. ABANDONED TOWERS. Whenever any transmission tower has ceased to be used for the transmission or reception of radio frequency waves for a period of 12 consecutive months, such tower shall be considered abandoned. An abandoned transmission tower shall be removed within 90 days of the end of such 12-month period. Any discontinuance of transmission tower use caused by governmental action and without any contributing fault by the tower user whose use of the tower was discontinued shall not be considered in calculating the length of discontinuance.
3. RECONSTRUCTION OF NONCONFORMING TOWERS. Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 295-415, a nonconforming transmission tower which is destroyed or damaged by fire, storm or other casualty, to the extent that the cost of reconstruction exceeds 50% of the tower's market value at the time of such loss, may be reconstructed provided that the tower owner complies with all applicable requirements for transmission towers specified in sub. 1, and provided that the height of the new tower does not exceed the height of the tower that was destroyed or damaged.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-2/CH295-sub4.pdf#page=38Fetched: 10/26/2026