No HOA But....???

[W4WSW]

Hello Guys, just a concern, I'm planning to buy a house in Woodbridge, VA were is NO HOA, the question is; Can I put an antenna up or still some things that I have to do Or still other restrictions other than just request the permit to the county if I want to put a tower up and so on..?

73 de W4WSW
Luis
Woodbridge, Virginia

[WA9AFM]

Even if there is no HOA, there could still be CC&R's applied to the neighborhood; your real estate agent can research that one for you.  Also, check with the local building code folks to determine if any restrictions or codes apply to towers/antennas.

[WB2WIK]

Prince William County, VA's website is pretty poor but they do have a listing of zoning ordinances, and 240.11, which references Article II-24 of the local code, specifically discusses amateur radio towers.

Unfortunately, the text of Article II-24 doesn't seem to exist anywhere on the website!  Just the reference.

I'd go visit the County offices and ask for a copy of this, and review it.

WB2WIK/6

[N2EY]

Things to check:

1) What permitting/inspection/documentation does the town, township, and/or county require?

2) Are there any deed covenants or restrictions? These may or may not be part of the deed/title to the property. You should have a copy - read it carefully for restrictions of various kinds, including references to restrictions listed elsewhere.

73 es GL de Jim, N2EY

[KL0S]

Luis - we've purchased several houses where we were able to erect our tower and antennas.  The trick is to have your agent put some wording on the sales contract that the sale is contingent on your being able to install a tower and antenna (with descriptions)....that's always done the trick for us, with our last home in a HOA area....although covenants precluded a large satellite dish there was nothing specifically regarding ham radio towers and antennas.  The offer went before the board and they approved my application....too easy.  YMMV!

Dino KL0S

[W4WSW]

Hello Guys Thank you for the advice, now I have a point of reference to start...

73's de W4WSW
Luis

[N5LRZ]

Just because there is no HOA does not meant that the county and or city/town might have an antenna ordinace.

I have good news and not so good news.

The FCC Has stated that governments cannot ban amateur radio antennas and that the city or county has to make a reasonable allowance for amateur support structure.

NOW the not so good news.  That reasonable allowance does not mean a whole lot.  They can require you to send in the plans for their "Permit" section to review and then turn around and charge a  very very high permit fee.  They can also require you to get a official inspection by an engineer to verify safety--an engineer whome YOU will have to pay.  AND EVEN at that they may allow you a permit for LESS than 40 feet of tower.  So after paying hundreds if not many thousads of dollars for permits and inspections it is entirely possible for a person to put up only a 30 foot tower.

[N5LRZ]

Just because there is no HOA does not meant that the county and or city/town might have an antenna ordinace.

I have good news and not so good news.

The FCC Has stated that governments cannot ban amateur radio antennas and that the city or county has to make a reasonable allowance for amateur support structure.

NOW the not so good news.  That reasonable allowance does not mean a whole lot.  They can require you to send in the plans for their "Permit" section to review and then turn around and charge a  very very high permit fee.  They can also require you to get a official inspection by an engineer to verify safety--an engineer whome YOU will have to pay.  AND EVEN at that they may allow you a permit for LESS than 40 feet of tower.  So after paying hundreds if not many thousads of dollars for permits and inspections it is entirely possible for a person to put up only a 30 foot tower.

[W0MT]

Be sure to check for both CC&Rs and easements. There may be an easement for underground or overhead things like power lines. Sometimes the easements exist but have been used yet. You don't want to pour concrete for your tower only to learn that the easement holder needs to dig or to run HV power lines right under or over your tower.

[W4WSW]

Hi Ray, thank you for the advice, in fact my idea is to put up a small beam that you can even hold with just a mast against the wall of the house with some kind of brackets, it's very light weight, I just want to go few feet above the roof in order to have some room to turn the antenna.

73 de W4WSW
Luis

[WN9HJW]

WIK didn't look hard enough.  The Prince William County zoning ordinance is linked at: http://www.pwcgov.org/default.aspx?topic=040073001420002653

Or go directly to this site:
http://www.municode.com/Resources/gateway.asp?pid=14114&sid=46



Sec. 32-240.02.  Applicability.

1.   The requirements set forth in this part shall govern the location of commercial monopoles and towers that are 50 feet in height or greater, amateur radio towers, and satellite dish antennas, and shall establish performance standards for antennas and related equipment used in association with existing structures, roof tops, utility distribution structures, and replacement utility distribution structures that are designed to accommodate antennas and associated equipment. Commercial monopoles and towers that are less than 50 feet in height, and amateur radio towers less than 75 feet in height shall be permitted by right in all zoning districts, subject to the provisions of this part. The requirements set forth in this part shall also govern the use and location of individual commercial satellite dish antennas greater than 50 feet in height and/or greater than three feet in diameter and commercial satellite dish antenna earthstation installations with two or more dishes.

2.   Telecommunications equipment for private residential use, including amateur radio service and satellite dishes shall be permitted in all districts as an accessory use. Other than the provisions of sections 32-240.10.2 through 32-240.10.4 and 32-240.11, the requirements set forth in this part shall not govern the use and location of amateur radio service towers that are 75 feet or less in height.



Sec. 32-240.11.  Amateur radio service antennas, satellite dishes, and associated supporting structures for private residential use.

Amateur radio service antennas, satellite dishes, and associated supporting structures used for private residential use in any zoning district shall be allowed as accessory uses as follows:

1.   Located in the rear and side yards only;
2.   If less than 20 feet in height, setback a minimum of five feet from the rear and side property lines, and in the case of a corner lot, a minimum of 20 feet from the side property line adjacent to the street;
3.   If greater than 20 feet in height, then subject to the yard and setback requirements of the zoning district in which the facility is located; and
4.   If greater than 75 feet in height, then allowed with a special use permit.

Basically, at least theoretically, you're OK as far as the county is concerned. This doesn't override neighborhood restrictions, though.

I could not easily find out whether you would need a building permit. That would be a whole other issue.

[W4WSW]

Thank You Ron, Indeed I'm in a good shape for that so I think I'm in the correct place.... Very good information..

73's de Luis
W4WSW
Woodbridge, VA