Amateur Radio and Association Architectural Standards

CAI opposes federal legislation or regulation that restricts a community association from requiring prior approval of amateur radio broadcasting infrastructure to ensure external radio towers and antennas are reasonably sized and placed, do not constitute a legitimate safety hazard, and reasonably reflect the aesthetic character of the community.

On June 12th, 2023, legislation to prohibit associations from restricting the installation of HAM radio towers was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, followed by companion legislation in the Senate on January 30, 2024. H.R. 4006/S. 3690 attempts to preempt these private contracts. 

Currently, it is common practice for community associations to provide HAM radio operator clubs a temporary space to set up during a local disaster. 

In the U.S., there are approximately 700,000 amateur radio operators and approximately 74.2 million residents living in community associations. According to a CAI survey:

• 95% of residents believe their architectural covenants protect property values.
• 78% of residents believe amateur radio operators should not be exempt from community association architectural covenants. Only 9% indicated a request was denied because of these covenants.
• 5% of residents relied on amateur radio communication during a disaster.

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