Why Your Cell Tower Isn't in the FCC Database
The FCC's Antenna Structure Registration is the only national list of towers with owners attached, but it was built for aviation safety, not for landowners. A structure has to be registered when it needs to be notified to the FAA, and that depends on height and location, not on whether it carries cell antennas.
The rule
Under 47 CFR 17.7, FAA notification — and so FCC registration under 17.4 — is required for structures more than 200 feet above ground, and for shorter ones that would cross the imaginary slopes around airports: 100 to 1 out to 20,000 feet from runways longer than 3,200 feet, 50 to 1 out to 10,000 feet from shorter runways, and 25 to 1 out to 5,000 feet from heliports.
What that leaves out
A typical suburban monopole of 100 to 150 feet, far from any airport, never needed FAA notice and so is not in the registry. Neither are most rooftop sites and small cells on utility poles. Of the 140,917 constructed structures that are registered, 73,560 stand over 200 feet; the rest are shorter structures registered because of where they stand, or for other reasons the FAA or the owner had.
So if your tower is not in your county's list on this site, the likeliest explanation is that it is under 200 feet and away from airports. It does not mean the tower is unlawful.
Finding the owner without the registry
- Your rent payments name the payer — usually the current tenant or its payment agent.
- Assignment notices. A lease sold to a new tower company normally comes with a letter telling you so.
- The county record. Tower leases are usually recorded as a memorandum of lease with the county recorder; later assignments are recorded too.
- The site itself. A registered tower must post its registration number at the gate or nearest public spot to its base (47 CFR 17.4(g)); many compounds also post the owner's name and a site number.
Once you know your tenant and your lease terms, the buyout calculator values the rent you would give up.
Questions
Do all cell towers have to be registered with the FCC?
No. FCC registration is required for antenna structures that need FAA notification — generally those more than 200 feet tall, or shorter structures near airports (47 CFR 17.4 and 17.7). Many shorter towers, rooftop sites and small cells are not registered.
How else can I find who owns a tower on my land?
Check who pays your rent, any assignment notice you received, and the memorandum of lease recorded at your county recorder's office.