STA 2+00 Act 2 of 3 · Build
Permit
Earn the right to build on poles and in the right-of-way.
Secure pole attachments and make-ready, right-of-way permits, special crossings and traffic control approval. This stage is often the critical path.
The checklist and Watch Out items are typical practice. Owner specifications, permits and the governing rules decide what applies.
Permit Checklist
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Watch Out
- Make-ready usually drives the schedule. Track every pole and every attacher.
- A bid that ignores restoration specs loses money at closeout.
- Expired permits stop work. Track the expiration dates.
- A missed jurisdiction boundary can stop a crew in the middle of a block.
- Attaching while other attachers' moves are still pending puts your crew and theirs at risk.
Why This Stage Matters
No permit, no work. Building without authorization can mean fines, removal at your cost and a damaged relationship with the pole owner or the city. Permitting also sets the rules the crew must follow: work hours, depth of cover, restoration and inspections.
What Good Looks Like
- Each pole moves through the owner’s process, from application to authorization, as described in pole attachment applications. FCC-regulated states follow
47 CFR 1.1401 and following; states that certify their own rules use those instead. FCC rules and the 47 CFR 1.1411 timelines do not bind co-op, municipal, government or railroad pole owners (47 U.S.C. 224(a)(1)); their agreement and any applicable state law govern. - Make-ready is coordinated through the owner and a joint-use system such as
NJUNS, then verified pole by pole in make-ready execution. - Every right-of-way owner on the route has approved its segment, as described in permits and right-of-way, under its rules and the state DOT’s utility accommodation policy.
- Traffic control plans follow
MUTCD Part 6and any state supplement. - The Permit Directory shows who regulates pole attachments in each state and links its one-call center, DOT utility permit pages and utility commission where listed.
Hand-Off to the Next Stage
Construct starts segment by segment, only where a permit covers the work window and, for any work that disturbs the ground (boring, trenching, potholes, anchors, pole setting), an active locate ticket with every positive response received under State one-call law.