#18 of 66 SD counties · 16 structures

Cell towers in Lake County, SD

The FCC registry lists 16 constructed antenna structures in Lake County, 2% of South Dakota's 949. Ownership is spread across 12 registrants; the largest, CommNet Cellular Inc., has 3 (19%). The three big tower companies — American Tower, Crown Castle and SBA — hold 2 between them.

Value a buyout offer

1Constructed structures 16
2Tallest 499 ft
3Largest owner CommNet Cellular Inc.
4Median height (state 285 ft) 298 ft

Structures

rank 18 of 66 in SD

Most common type

Guyed tower

38% of structures

Over 200 feet

81% of structures

Peak build decade

2010s

31% built then

Who owns the towers in Lake County

12 different registrants own the 16 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 Lake County by owner group, bars to scale. Source: FCC ASR, October 2026.

Height and age

The median structure here stands 298 feet, 13 feet taller than the South Dakota median — a sign of broadcast and rural coverage towers rather than short suburban sites. The tallest is a tower near Junius at 499 feet, built in 1993. More than in any other decade, 31% were built in the 2010s.

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

Structures in Lake 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
1040240	Tower	499 ft	1993	Junius	EAST RIVER ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE INC
1298533	Guyed tower	450 ft	2017	Madison	SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS DBA ,SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC BROADCASTING NETWORK
1319672	Guyed tower	412 ft	2021	Wentworth	VB BTS III, LLC
1320057	Guyed tower	410 ft	2021	Winfred	TowerCo 2013 LLC
1041805	Tower	359 ft	1971	Madison	Vertical Bridge S3 Assets, LLC
1058961	Guyed tower	322 ft	1995	Madison	CommNet Cellular Inc.
1332379	Lattice tower	315 ft	2026	Ramona	The Towers, LLC
1285337	Lattice tower	299 ft	2012	Nunda	CommNet Cellular Inc.
1262385	Guyed tower	296 ft	2010	Chester	CCATT LLC
1040459	Lattice tower	294 ft	2014	Wentworth	American Towers LLC
1039344	Tower	265 ft	1984	Winfred	NorthWestern Corporation
1252257	Tower	260 ft	2007	Madison	CommNet Cellular Inc.
1304142	Guyed tower	250 ft	2017	Winfred	NorthWestern Corporation
1334107	Lattice tower	184 ft	2023	Winfred	Xcel Energy Services Inc.
1215198	Water tank	133 ft	1998	Madison	City of Madison
1264627	Tower	35 ft	2009	Madison	City of Madison

If you have a tower lease in Lake 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 South Dakota with similar tower counts: Beadle County (17), Clark County (17), Jackson County (16), Union County (15), Custer County (14).

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.