Rancho Cucamonga — Wireless Telecommunication Facilities

Siting, Collocation, and Concealment

The required preference sequence is:

1. Collocation on an existing wireless facility.
2. Existing buildings, communication towers, or utility facilities.
3. Existing signal, power, light, or similar poles.
4. Industrial zones.
5. Form-based zones.
6. Residential zones, subject to additional restrictions. § 17.106.040(A)(4)

Applicants should place facilities where topography, vegetation, buildings, or structures provide the greatest available screening. If that screening is inadequate, the planning director may require additional screening; Rancho Cucamonga Landscaping and Screening requirements beyond Chapter 17.106 should be verified separately. § 17.106.040(A)(2)

Ground-mounted facilities are limited to locations close to existing aboveground utilities, poles, comparable-height trees, or similar context, and must not detract from the city’s appearance. The nearby utility infrastructure cannot be scheduled for removal or undergrounding within 18 months after the application date. § 17.106.040(A)(3)

A major facility’s 300 ft spacing is measured in a straight line from the nearest point of the proposed major facility to the nearest residential-use property line or the nearest point of another major facility, without considering intervening structures. § 17.106.040(A)(5)(d)

Major-Facility Residential Exceptions

A major facility may use an existing nonresidential building, structure, or utility pole in the otherwise restricted area only when it meets all applicable listed conditions. These include full compliance with the referenced utility-pole safety rule, use of a previously discretionary-approved major facility where applicable, underground or director-approved screened accessory equipment, and flush-mounted antennas unless technical or commercial infeasibility is documented. § 17.106.040(A)(5)(a)

Replacement or modification of an existing facility for collocation is another exception. A proposed facility designed for an additional future carrier may also qualify if the applicant documents why a higher-preference site cannot reasonably meet technical, FCC-related, or other uncontrollable requirements. § 17.106.040(A)(5)(b)–(c)

District-Specific Form-Based Height Standards

Chapter 17.106 provides express district-by-district height limits only for wireless facilities in the following form-based zoning districts. The chapter does not establish district purposes, typical permitted uses, setbacks, FAR, or lot coverage for these districts; consult Rancho Cucamonga Zoning, Rancho Cucamonga Land Use, and Rancho Cucamonga Development Standards for those separate topics. § 17.106.040(D)

NE2

For wireless facilities in NE2, Chapter 17.106 sets a maximum height of 30 ft. The chapter places NE2 fifth in the citywide preference sequence as part of the broader form-based-zone category; district purpose, allowed base uses, and dimensional standards beyond wireless height are Not found in source materials. § 17.106.040(A)(4), (D), Table 17.106.040-1

NG3

For wireless facilities in NG3, the maximum height is 30 ft. NG3 is treated as a form-based district for this height rule; its purpose, typical permitted uses, and other development standards are Not found in source materials. § 17.106.040(D), Table 17.106.040-1

CE1

For wireless facilities in CE1, the maximum height is 45 ft. Chapter 17.106 does not identify CE1’s district purpose, permitted uses, or setbacks; Verify with the jurisdiction under the city’s separate zoning standards. § 17.106.040(D), Table 17.106.040-1

ME1

For wireless facilities in ME1, the maximum height is 52 ft, the highest listed form-based wireless height in this table. The chapter supplies no separate ME1 use or lot-development standards. § 17.106.040(D), Table 17.106.040-1

ME2

For wireless facilities in ME2, the maximum height is 42 ft. ME2 is within the form-based-zone siting tier; its purpose, typical uses, and non-wireless dimensional requirements are Not found in source materials. § 17.106.040(A)(4), (D), Table 17.106.040-1

CO1

For wireless facilities in CO1, the maximum height is 42 ft. Chapter 17.106 does not independently authorize a use by district; it regulates a wireless proposal once otherwise considered under the applicable code framework. § 17.106.040(D), Table 17.106.040-1

CO2

For wireless facilities in CO2, the maximum height is 51 ft. The local code materials do not state CO2’s purpose, typical permitted uses, setbacks, or lot coverage in Chapter 17.106. § 17.106.040(D), Table 17.106.040-1

CE2

For wireless facilities in CE2, the maximum height is 51 ft. The chapter’s applicable controls remain concealment, the site-preference order, equipment treatment, and the form-based height cap; other district standards are Not found in source materials. § 17.106.040(A)–(B), (D), Table 17.106.040-1

Design, Equipment, and Operating Standards

Wireless facilities may not display advertising or signs other than required certification, warning, seals, or legally required signage. This is a facility-specific rule; separate Rancho Cucamonga Signage standards should be checked only if they independently apply. § 17.106.040(B)(2)

Accessory equipment must be inside a building, enclosure, or underground vault that complies with the zone’s development standards, subject to city approval. If aboveground equipment or right-of-way equipment is allowed, it must be visually compatible and have adequate landscaping screening. § 17.106.040(B)(3)

Use subdued, nonreflective materials that blend with surrounding colors and materials. Building-mounted screening must match the host building’s architecture, color, texture, and/or materials; monopole and antenna cross-section must be no larger than necessary, supported by documentation satisfactory to the planning director. § 17.106.040(B)(4)–(6)

Facilities, including generators, must comply with the city noise ordinance referenced in § 17.66.050 and other applicable noise regulations. § 17.106.040(B)(7)

Public Right-of-Way and City-Owned Property

A right-of-way facility installed after June 16, 2018 may be on streetlights or utility poles, but not on historic or decorative streetlights, traffic-signal poles, or intersection safety lights. It also needs engineering calculations sealed by a California-licensed professional engineer showing the existing pole and footing can support the added load. § 17.106.040(C)(1)–(2)

If existing infrastructure is inadequate, the applicant may propose city-approved replacement infrastructure at its own expense. Cabling must remain in conduit and directly attached to the pole face while technically feasible; exposed slack or extra cable is prohibited. § 17.106.040(C)(2)–(3)

Electrical meters are prohibited, and the applicant bears electrical-use costs. Facilities also may not damage or interfere with city property, facilities, or existing third-party installations. § 17.106.040(C)(4), (6)

Within an area governed by the Rancho Cucamonga Fiber Master Plan, the city engineer may send plans to Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility and add construction-permit coordination for joint trenching. § 17.106.040(C)(5)

A facility on city-owned property—including a city-owned utility pole—also requires an executed written agreement with the city before Chapter 17.106 approval becomes effective. That agreement supplements, rather than replaces, the chapter’s standards. § 17.106.090

Collocation, Replacements, and Timing

Certain collocations on an existing major facility may avoid a new discretionary approval when the original facility was discretionarily approved after January 1, 2007, had the specified environmental review, meets Government Code § 65850.6(b), and does not alter height, location, bulk, size, or physical attributes. Other nondiscretionary permits still apply. § 17.106.020(G)

Qualifying collocation may include matching or disguised equipment boxes and shelters, but their total volume may not exceed the existing collocation facility’s equipment-box volume. On a qualifying major facility, added antenna surface area cannot exceed the existing facility’s utilized antenna area, and added support structures are limited to what is reasonably necessary for the permitted panels. § 17.106.020(H)(1)

A minor use permit or minor design review is required for specified collocation changes, including a height or physical-attribute increase, certain added antennas, collocation on a facility approved on or before January 1, 2007, or service by more than one provider without the planning director’s written authorization. § 17.106.020(H)(2)

Where state or federal law bars discretionary permitting for a facility, the required permit is ministerial and administered by the director, while Chapter 17.106’s substantive provisions remain applicable as reasonable time, place, and manner rules. A qualifying application may be deemed approved after 60 days for modifications or 150 days for other telecommunications applications if the city has not acted, required public notices were provided, and the applicant gives lapse notice to the city. § 17.106.020(I)–(J)

Temporary Facilities

A temporary wireless facility may be deployed only with planning-director approval, where a permanent facility has already been approved for the property and the temporary facility was approved as part of that conditional use permit or minor development review. § 17.106.080(A)–(B)

The default deployment limit is 6 months. The planning director may grant up to two extensions, but the combined temporary period may not exceed 1 year. § 17.106.080(C)

Checklist

• Classify the proposal as minor or major using the stealth, height, mounting, and public-property definitions. § 17.152.020
• Obtain minor design review for a minor facility or a conditional use permit for a major facility, unless a stated exemption or ministerial rule applies. § 17.106.020(A)–(B), (I)
• For a right-of-way location, obtain the additional Chapter 12.03 construction permit. § 17.106.020(C)
• Document the site-selection sequence, including coverage mapping and alternative-site analysis if required by the planning director. § 17.106.040(A)(4), (B)(1)
• Confirm that a major facility meets the 300 ft residential and major-facility separation rule or qualifies for a listed exception. § 17.106.040(A)(5)
• Design for stealth, screening, subdued nonreflective materials, and architecture-compatible building screening. § 17.106.040(A)(1)–(2), (B)(4)–(5)
• Place accessory equipment in a compliant building, enclosure, or underground vault, or obtain approval for compatible screened aboveground/right-of-way equipment. § 17.106.040(B)(3)
• Confirm the applicable form-based height cap where the site is NE2, NG3, CE1, ME1, ME2, CO1, CO2, or CE2. § 17.106.040(D), Table 17.106.040-1
• For city-owned property, execute the required written occupancy agreement. § 17.106.090
• Demonstrate that the facility will not interfere with public-safety radio systems and complies with FCC interference rules. § 17.106.050

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

For a commercial cell facility in Rancho Cucamonga, start by using an existing site or pole and making the equipment blend in. A new major installation near homes is tightly constrained by the 300 ft rule, while smaller concealed installations generally follow the minor design review path. §§ 17.106.020, 17.106.040

Source References

• § 17.106.010 — purpose and intent.
• § 17.106.020 — permit requirements, exemptions, collocation, ministerial review, and application timing.
• § 17.106.030 — consultant-review reimbursement.
• § 17.106.040 — siting, screening, development criteria, right-of-way requirements, and form-based height table.
• § 17.106.050 — public-safety radio interference standard.
• § 17.106.080 — temporary-facility deployment.
• § 17.106.090 — city-owned-property agreement.
• § 17.152.020 — wireless communications definitions.