City Hall unveils licensing rules for 5G towers in Sioux Falls

More than 20 locations on public land across Sioux Falls are being targeted by wireless providers as future 5G cell tower sites, according to City Hall.

That has city officials working to establish a licensing process that would allow Verizon Wireless and other telecommunication companies to begin installing fifth generation micro-towers on city light poles, water towers and buildings as early as next year.

"Once the master license agreement is approved by the City Council via ordinance, this would allow staff to administratively approve those applications," Parks Director Don Kearney said while addressing the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Board, which got a peak at the proposal Tuesday due to the expectation that light poles in parks will be candidates to house 5G towers.

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Under the proposed licensing system, unveiled this week by the Sioux Falls Power and Light Division, companies seeking to equip cell towers onto light poles or other publicly owned facilities would be required to pay a $500 application fee. At that time, staff would have 60 days to determine whether the targeted site is a suitable location. If approved, the applicant would pay an additional $25 for a permit, and then a yearly renewal fee of $175.

"We can either approve the application, deny the application or approve the application with conditions," Kearney said.

That means if the city finds the proposed location for a micro-tower too intrusive to a neighborhood or too close to an existing light pole or micro-tower, staff can tell the applicant to find a new location. They'll also need to meet aesthetic standards spelled out in existing zoning ordinances.

Light Superintendent Jerry Jongeling said typical city light poles aren't strong enough to support 5G tower cells, so it will be the applicant's responsibility to replace them with more sturdy ones with concrete foundations that can handle the added weight.

In the event one of those towers gets damaged and needs to be replaced, the applicant needs to provide the city with a stock of replacement poles.

"Our team would go out there and replace the pole, get the street light working for street safety, and then we call Verizon and say, 'You're good to go to put your antenna back on it,'" Jongeling said.

While the applicant will be responsible for erecting the poles and installing the towers on them, the poles themselves will be property of the city.

Jongeling said he can't share what public locations are being sought for 5G towers until applications are formally filed by telecommunication providers, but he said people can expect to see them in "various areas" around Sioux Falls.

The City Council is expected to cast a vote on the proposed licensing process in the coming weeks.