#28 of 53 ND counties · 14 structures

Cell towers in Nelson County, ND

The FCC registry lists 14 constructed antenna structures in Nelson County, 1% of North Dakota's 1,212. Ownership is spread across 10 registrants; the largest, North Dakota RSA No. 3 Limited Partnership, has 4 (29%). The three big tower companies — American Tower, Crown Castle and SBA — hold 1 between them.

Value a buyout offer

1Constructed structures 14
2Tallest 1461 ft
3Largest owner North Dakota RSA No. 3 Limited Partnership
4Median height (state 260 ft) 260 ft

Structures

rank 28 of 53 in ND

Most common type

Tower

64% of structures

Over 200 feet

64% of structures

Peak build decade

2010s

36% built then

Who owns the towers in Nelson County

10 different registrants own the 14 structures. Owner names are the registrant's legal entity as filed with the FCC; the large tower companies file under many subsidiary names, which this site groups into families where the brand is in the name or listed in the company's SEC filings.

Constructed structures in Nelson County by owner group, bars to scale. Source: FCC ASR, October 2026.

Height and age

The median structure here stands 260 feet, close to the North Dakota median of 260 feet. The tallest is a guyed tower near Dahlen at 1461 feet, built in 1974. More than in any other decade, 36% were built in the 2010s.

Structures in Nelson County by type, bars to scale. Source: FCC ASR.

Structures in Nelson County by decade built, columns to scale. Source: FCC ASR.

Every registered structure

Sorted tallest first. The registration number opens the FCC record, which shows the exact location and the owner's contact for the structure. A tower on your land that is not in this list is probably under 200 feet and away from airports, so it did not need registering — see why some towers aren't listed.

FCC reg.	Type	Height	Built	City	Owner
1038758	Guyed tower	1461 ft	1974	Dahlen	FORUM COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY DBA WDAY TV
1203070	Tower	420 ft	2000	Petersburg	Nelson, County of
1002500	Tower	350 ft	1996	Michigan City	North Dakota RSA No. 3 Limited Partnership
1043119	Tower	345 ft	2003	Lakota	POLAR COMMUNICATIONS MUTUAL AID CORPORATION
1262455	Tower	297 ft	2008	Mcville	North Dakota RSA No. 3 Limited Partnership
1201907	Tower	288 ft	2010	Lakota	CCATT LLC
1053009	Tower	265 ft	1979	Petersburg	MINNKOTA POWER COOPERATIVE, INC.
1274685	Tower	256 ft	2010	Aneta	North Dakota RSA No. 3 Limited Partnership
1039997	Tower	230 ft	1961	Petersburg	NORTH DAKOTA, STATE OF
1327530	Lattice tower	199 ft	2025	Tolna	Great Plains Towers, LLC
1274670	Mast	197 ft	2010	Lakota	North Dakota RSA No. 3 Limited Partnership
1287577	Lattice tower	123 ft	2014	Lakota	BNSF Railway CO.
1053020	Tower	85 ft	1978	Lakota	MINNKOTA POWER COOPERATIVE, INC.
1290750	Monopole	50 ft	2014	Lakota	BNSF Railway Co.

If you have a tower lease in Nelson County

Find your structure above, open its FCC record and confirm the owner — that is the company your lease runs to today, even if a different carrier signed it originally. Before answering a buyout offer, put your current rent, escalator and remaining term into the calculator to see what the rent is worth and what return the offer assumes.

Counties in North Dakota with similar tower counts: Walsh County (16), Golden Valley County (15), Rolette County (15), Dickey County (13), Emmons County (13).

Source: FCC Antenna Structure Registration, weekly public access file (r_tower.zip, created 2026-10-18); constructed registrations only; locations rounded. Checked 2026-10-23. Methodology.