When it comes to cell phone towers, there is increasingly the perception that a family does not want to live next to one. There is good reason for this as the research on health effects shows.
The following articles, videos and studies relate to declining property values around cell tower installations. Start with this excellent, investigative piece by a San Francisco Bay Area journalist:
Why Property Values are Affected by Cell Towers:
1.) 94% of people surveyed would not buy or rent a home next to a cell tower:
2.) Palo Alto community successfully stops a proposed AT&T cell tower at a Catholic church. They cite a 20% drop in property values in other communities. A very effective campaign for any neighborhood to model:
As you can see in this recently NY Times article, Palo Alto residents really don’t like having cell towers in their community (even though they are the cradle of wireless technology). What do these tech people know that the rest of the population doesn’t?
3.) Here is an excellent study in The Appraisal Journal that shows cell tower installations negatively impact property values.
4.) NY Times article on how realtors have a hard time selling homes next to cell towers.
This community woke up one morning to find cell phone companies putting up towers right in their front yards.
5.) Here is a study showing that cell towers decrease property values by 7.4% in neighborhoods in Savannah, GA.
6.) Nolo Press article noting successful litigation against cell phone tower installations related to declining property values:
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/emf-radiofrequency-exposure-from-cell-32210-2.html
7.) NASA scientist sells home of 25 years in Piedmont, CA (wealthy suburb of San Francisco) because city council approves a DAS cell tower near his home: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/11/15/east-bay-homeowners-challenge-proposed-cellphone-towers/
8.) Excellent summary of various press articles from around the country related to declining property values around cell towers:
https://sites.google.com/site/nocelltowerinourneighborhood/home/decreased-real-estate-value
9.) Study using the mapping software GIS to show that property values were higher on average away from cell phone tower installations:
http://www.prres.net/papers/Bond_Squires_Using_GIS_to_Measure.pdf
10.) Recent NPR story about a couple in LA that successfully stopped a 5G tower.
11.) New Zealand study showing that property values decrease after cell phone tower installations:
New Zealand Study on Declining Property Values Around Cell Towers
12.) 50% of Australians do not want a 5G tower near their home.
13.) Community in Florida that recently won a lawsuit to stop a 5G antenna. Their legal arguments will help in your case.
14.) The Environmental Health Trust has also put together this resource on how property values are affected by wireless telecommunications infrastructure.
15.) Community stops new DAS cell tower system from being installed based on concerns of property values declining:
The above are Distributed Antenna System (DAS) cellular transmitters. Cities like San Francisco are placing multiple antennas like this on every block, right in front of people’s homes. They may look innocent, but they are very powerful emitters of microwave radiation that can cause health effects for home owners.
Special Note: Communities all around the country are stopping cell towers in their tracks. I get emails every week about this. Here is a couple in Los Angeles that stopped a cell tower in their front yard. Here is another where a community in Colorado stopped a major tower. This community in Florida stopped a tower and did this neighborhood in Las Vegas. It can be done if you get your entire community involved. The wealthy community of Hillsborough, CA recently stopped 16 cell towers from being installed after citizen outrage over not being included in the planning process:
Originally published 2015. Updated June 2023