Shot clocks imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limit the amount of time the City of Portland may use to process personal wireless service facility projects. The City must process projects within the shot clock timeframes outlined below.
| Personal wireless service facility project type | Shot clock |
|---|---|
| Eligible Facilities Requests under 6409(a) | 60 Days |
| SWF (Small Wireless Facility) on an existing structure | 60 Days |
| SWF on a new structure | 90 Days |
| Non-SWF on an existing structure | 90 Days |
| Non-SWF on a new structure | 150 Days |
The permit process for personal wireless service facilities and shot clocks
The federal shot clocks are short. To meet the shot clocks, we have to process all approvals and permits for a project at the same time. This includes land use approvals and construction permits.
Voluntary early assistance/pre-application meetings and FCC shot clocks
Federal shot clocks greatly reduce our ability to help a submitted project through the process. We encourage you to participate in voluntary early assistance or pre-application meetings. These voluntary meetings do not start federal shot clocks. We can then work with you to address any issues prior to project submittal. Learn more about early assistance options and request either a voluntary early assistance or pre-application meeting in the related Early Assistance Zoning and Infrastructure Review webpage.
Voluntary tolling agreements- tolling the federal shot clock
Applicants and the City may mutually agree to toll the federal shot clock if the applicant wants to retain flexibility to work with City staff during project review or if an applicant does not want to submit concurrent applications for land use approval and building permits. Tolling applies to the whole personal wireless service facility project.
Tolled projects will still be carefully processed. Request a voluntary tolling agreement using the personal wireless service facility voluntary tolling agreement extended timeline processing form on the related Radio Frequency (RF) Transmission Facilities Permits and Review page.
Learn more about RF Transmission Facilities
Additional information:
You might also want to watch the Personal Wireless Service Facilities powerpoint presentation from August 25, 2021.