Adapted from original Jan 10, 2019 article here
One reason you would not want a 4G or 5G Close Proximity Microwave Radiation Antenna (CPMRA) or a Wireless Telecommunications Facility (WTF) of any size or shape in front of or near your home is that it will significantly lower the property value of your home.
This is one of the reasons why cities and towns should limit and regulate the permitting of CPMRAs to the greatest extent possible. Among other things cities and towns can amend their zoning codes to say that:
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CPMRAs are not allowed in residential zones, only in commercial and industrial zones.
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There must be at minimum distance of 1.500 feet between WTFs of any kind.
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There must be a setback of at least 500′ between a CPMRA and the nearest home.
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There should also be vertical setbacks for antennas — no lower than 150 feet higher than the highest roof in a 1500 foot radius of the WTF
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Other than the antenna and wires all of the electrical equipment must be placed underground.
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Finally, towns can insist on installing only Telecom equipment that has no chance of outputting maximum RF-EMR exposures any higher than 150 µW/m² anywhere where people live, learn, recreate, sleep or heal — metered as peak RF-EMR exposures anywhere outside either on the ground or just outside the highest windows of the closest buildings within a 1,500 foot radius of any WTF.
If you are looking for resources on the relationship between the presence of a CPMRA and property values, either for yourself or to provide to your city or town, try the following links:
- Link to Neighborhood Cell Towers & Antennas: Survey initiated June 2, 2014, has now been completed by 1,000 respondents as of June 28, 2014. Real Estate Survey Results
- Link to Burgoyne Appraisal Company: Impact of Communication Tower and Equipment on Property Values
- Link to National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy Indicates Cell Towers and Antennas Negatively Impact Interest in Real Estate Properties
- Link to 2006 – Using GIS to Measure the Impact of Distance to Cell Phone Towers on House Prices in Florida
- Link to 2005 – The Impact of CellPhone Towers on House Prices in Residential Neighborhoods
- Link to 2003 – The Impact of Cellular Phone Base Station Towers on Property values
- Link to Burbank Action on Decreased Real Estate Values
- Link to Letters to LA County Regional Planning Commission re: decreased house values near cell towers
- Link to Burbank Real Estate Professionals Statement re: proposed cell tower at Brace Canyon park would affect property values
Legal Obligations To Disclose, When Selling a Home
There is an obligation for a real estate agent or seller to disclose the existence of a WTF within 3,000 feet of a home.
The California Association of Realtors maintains that
“sellers and agents must disclose material facts that affect the value or desirability of the property, which includes known conditions outside of and surrounding the property”.
The California Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement requires disclosure of
- “Neighborhood noise problems or other nuisances.”
Whether the subject property is affected by or zoned to allow certain manufacturing or commercial use as set forth in CCP 731a.
Make no mistake — everyone will know the where the Close Proximity Microwave Radiation Antenna (CPMRA) is in relation to your home. Besides the unsightly antennas placed on light poles or utility poles in the public rights-of-way, there will be safety, emergency notification and warning signs that will signal their presence of this industrial equipment in your residential neighborhood.
Also, your neighbors will know and will hopefully speak up agains to prevent installation of any CPMRAs or WTFs in your neighborhood. Of course, there is also the moral obligation to consider in making disclosures when selling one’s home. Would you sell a home to a couple with young children if there was a CPMRA in front of the home?
You can learn more at My Street, My Choice!