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, recent 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:
http://www.nocelltowerat1095channing.com/
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?
This community in Berkeley recently did the same thing. They flooded the planning commission with 187 pages of emails against the tower and the application was denied.
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:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/realestate/29Lizo.html
This community woke up one morning to find cell phone companies putting up towers right in their front yards.
5.) This is what the National Association of Realtors has to say on this issue:
http://www.realtor.org/field-guides/field-guide-to-cell-phone-towers
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.) Article from the National Association of Realtors.
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.
Note: Communities all around the country are stopping cell towers in their tracks. I get emails every week about this. Here is one community in Colorado that stopped a major tower. Also, this community in Berkeley recently stopped a tower from being built. The 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:
This article was originally published in February 2015. It was most recently updated July 2022.