Pennsylvania Township Puts Limits On Cell Phone Tower Placement

The Horsham Township Council is working to put limits on where wireless communications facilities can be built. Under the current ordinance, a 130-foot cell phone tower could be built almost anywhere, including the backyard of the town’s residents. However, the township’s council is working to prevent this from happening and decrease the likelihood that a cell phone tower would be built in a residential area.

This new ordinance is setting height, co-location, and visual requirements. Many of the members of the Horsham community believe that a cell tower built in the residential area would hurt the character of them town.

Theresa Katalinas, editor or the Hatboro-HorshamPatch, reported, “Besides keeping wireless communication equipment out of residential areas, the proposed ordinance sets the height of tower-based facilities at a maximum of 130 feet high; prevents artificial lighting ‘except as required by law’; and requires that an applicant ‘demonstrate that a significant gap in wireless coverage exists.’”

This new ordinance will also give the township the ability to deny any application for the construction or placement based on the visual impact to the community. This 23-page amended ordinance will be shared at a public hearing on November 13^th and could take effect 30 days after it is approved.