[TowerTalk] Tower regulations for home brew towers in the US?

[KC2TN]

I live in Southern NJ and just put up a 2nd tower! Both towers were commercially manufactured. 
The first tower was put up in 1982 with only a building permit for $30!

The 2nd tower required a building permit, 2 variances, one for height and the other for side yard clearance! I also need to obtain a NJ Engineering stamp of approval since the tower was speced in Calif. Specs also had to be brought up to date for NJ wind loading requirements. One requested approval from our local zoning board cost me $500 for a single phone call to confirm information that I had already provided in my brief.

The whole permit process cost me a ton before I even put a shovel in the ground!

Times sure changed from1982 to 2012!

It seems to me local townships follow the lead of neighboring townships and also national trends. 

We just keep getting more restrictive  and/or money hungry!

Sent from my iPad

> On Feb 21, 2014, at 5:24 AM, Markku Oksanen <markku.a.oksanen at kolumbus.fi> wrote:
> 
> All
> Just because I am curious:
> Here at OH-land even large towers can be home brew just like my 160 and 145 foot rotating towers.These have been made by a private small company that made perhaps 200 towers through the years.Building permit and zoning never questioned the "engineering" of the towers as the responsibility in the end rests with the owner.In addition, home owner insurance happily includes towers and covers damage without question.
> How is the situation in the US?  Looks like most towers are commercial (Rohn, couple others) and it seems that a "professional engineer" (correct??) needs to look at the mechanics of the whole thing in order to get a permit to put up a tower.
> So, how, if at all, is it possible to build your own large towers?  Does anybody do this?  
> The towers I have are 1.5 feet a side with 2 inch tubes, inverted U (0.7 inch) "cross bars".  Only guyed at two levels and full of aluminium, 8000 lb steel guy wires and ball bearing guy rings.  And they have survived some crazy storm too in the past 15 years.
> MarkkuOH2RA/OG2A/WW1C                         
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk