Antenna Structure Registration - Help
This article provides information on the FCC’s Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) program. The ASR program requires owners of antenna structures to register with the FCC any antenna structure that requires notice of proposed construction to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In general, this includes structures that are taller than 200 feet above ground level or that may interfere with the flight path of a nearby airport. The antenna structure owner must obtain painting and lighting specifications from the FAA and include those specifications in its registration prior to construction. The ASR program allows the FCC to fulfill its statutory responsibility to require painting and lighting of antenna structures that may pose a hazard to air navigation.
The FCC’s antenna structure registration, marking and lighting rules are located in Part 17 of the FCC's rules.
Antenna Structures
The FCC Rules define the term "antenna structure" to include "[T]he radiating and/or receive system, its supporting structures and any appurtenances mounted thereon." In practical terms, an antenna structure could be a free standing structure, built specifically to support antennas or act as an antenna, or it could be a structure mounted on some other man-made object (such as a building or bridge). If the structure is mounted on some other man-made object such as a building or bridge, the structure must be registered with the FCC, not the building or bridge.
Objects such as buildings, observation towers, bridges, windmills, and water towers that do not have an antenna mounted on them are not antenna structures and should not be registered. Keep in mind that the FCC only has jurisdiction over antenna structures, and thus, other objects that do not house antennas are not required to be registered with the FCC -- regardless of their location or height.
Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) System
The Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) System is an online system that stores the location, height, marking and lighting, and other information on all antenna structures that are registered with the FCC. Antenna structure owners must use the ASR system to file new antenna structure registrations. Antenna structure owners also use the system to file updates to registrations such as modifications to existing structures, notifications of construction, and ownership changes.
