With its permission, we are posting a series of White Papers and Planning Advisory Notices (PANs) published by the Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF). TIF’s Mission is to “uplift the telecommunications industry by providing timely support and education to the public, lawmakers, and industry stakeholders through the promotion of quality, safety, efficiency, and workforce development.”

Colliers Engineering & Design (CED) shares TIF’s Mission by presenting these papers for informational and educational purposes only. The content expressed by TIF does not necessarily represent the opinion of CED.

The International Building Code (IBC) has adopted the ANSI/TIA-222 Standard as the governing standard for the analysis of antenna supporting structures. This recognition by the IBC is vital as it allows for proper design, maintenance, and modification of monopoles, towers, and other antenna supporting structures (together, “Structures”), which, consequently, enables telecommunications infrastructure to perform with incredible reliability (for more on the reliability of telecommunications infrastructure see the TIF White Paper “Reliability of Telecommunications Structures.”

A proper structural analysis is critical to ensuring that the quality and reliability of this infrastructure is upheld as well as achieving code compliance. The purpose of a compliant structural analysis is to allow the licensed engineer of record (“EOR”) to document the results of a structural assessment based on a proposed loading change to the structure in accord with the requirements of the ANSI/TIA-222-H Standard. The EOR has several means by which to communicate the results of an analysis; a comprehensive structural analysis (which are typical within this industry), a feasibility study, or a structural opinion letter. Each of these analysis types have specific applications and limitation. It is important for all stakeholders to understand when each type can and should be used. Understanding these types of deliverables will allow all stakeholders to make the most financially prudent decisions while ensuring code compliance for jurisdictional approval.

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