The height of structures in the United States has been poorly documented. However, the data is a matter of public record, appearing in documents maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

This list is populated heavily by antenna masts. The engineering aspects of super-tall masts are highly specialized. Only four companies erect the majority of such structures: Doty Moore Tower Services (Cedar Hill, Texas); Kline Towers (Columbia, South Carolina); LeBlanc Royal Telecom (Oakville, Ontario); and Stainless Inc. (North Wales, Pennsylvania). The design and construction are largely governed by RS222E Electronic Industries Alliance standards. A 1,000-foot (300 m) tall mast costs between $0.7 and $1.1 million to build, while a 2,000-foot (610 m) tall mast costs $2.4 to $4 million. Prices generally vary depending on tower capacity and wind loading specifications.

A common misperception is that landmarks such as the Stratosphere Tower are the tallest United States structures, but they are in fact the tallest buildings. Likewise, Taipei 101 was often misrepresented as the world's tallest structure (although it was the tallest occupied building, before the certification of Dubai's Burj Khalifa as such), but in fact is far eclipsed by antenna towers in over a dozen states in the United States and in other countries.

In the United States, the FAA and the FCC must approve all towers exceeding 200 feet (61 m) in height. Furthermore, it is very difficult to get permission for structures over 2,000 feet (610 m) tall. The FCC presumes them to be inconsistent with the public interest, while the FAA presumes them to be a hazard to air navigation, resulting in poor airspace usage. A significant burden of proof is placed on the applicant to show that such a structure is in the public's best interests. Only when both agencies have resolved all legal, safety, and management concerns is such an application approved.

Since 1978, the United States has maintained 11 tethered aerostats sites along the southern borders. These balloons rise to 18,000 feet (5,500 m), carrying radar units for drug interdiction purposes. However, since the balloons are aided by buoyancy and are not permanent, they are not considered true structures.

State-by-state listing

Alabama

  • WTTO Television Tower (Birmingham WB-21)
    • Windham Springs (33°28′51″N 087°24′03″W / 33.48083°N 87.40083°W / 33.48083; -87.40083)
    • Year built: 1986
    • At 2,000 ft (610 m), this structure ties 19 others around the United States as the seventh-tallest structure in the world[1]
  • RSA Battle House Tower
    • Height: 745 ft (227 m)
    • Mobile, Alabama
    • Tallest freestanding building in Alabama
    • It has a fiberglass spire on the top of the building that supports the antenna
    • The building has a crown inside it which is visible up to 30 mi (48 km) away
    • 35 floors

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

  • Shamrock Tower
    • Height: 1,464 ft (446.2 m)
    • Jessup, Nevada (39°54′46″N 118°55′18″W / 39.91278°N 118.92167°W / 39.91278; -118.92167)
    • Year built: 2012
    • Owner: Shamrock Communications, Inc.; Scranton, PA
    • The BREN Tower, located in Jackass Flats (Area 25) of the Nevada Test Site, was a mast that was built for nuclear radiation testing. The 465 m (1,526 ft) tall, 345-ton structure was constructed by Columbus, Ohio-based Dresser-Ideco in 1962. It was originally erected in Yucca Flat (Area 4) before being dismantled in 1966 and moved to Area 25. The mast was owned by the Department of Energy and maintained by National Security Technologies. On May 23, 2012, the BREN Tower was demolished. The tallest structure in Nevada since mid-2012 is the Shamrock Tower in Jessup, Nevada at 446.2 m (1,464 ft) tall, erected in mid-2012. The second-tallest structure in Nevada is the Moapa Entravision Tower at Moapa, a 426.7 m (1,400 ft) tall guyed TV mast at Moapa erected in 2008, the third-tallest is the 401 m (1,316 ft) tall Moapa Kemp Tower at Moapa, the fourth-tallest is Stratosphere Tower near downtown Las Vegas, which was erected in 1994–96 and reaches 1,149 ft (350 m) and 921 ft (281 m) without the mast. It is also the second-tallest freestanding structure in the western U.S. after the Kennecott Smokestack in Utah

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

  • WIMZ-FM Tower
    • Height: 1,752 feet (534 m)
    • Knoxville (36°08′06″N 083°43′29″W / 36.13500°N 83.72472°W / 36.13500; -83.72472)
    • Year built: 1963
    • Owner: South Central Communications
    • The tower is home to WIMZ-FM 103.5, whose antenna is at the top. The tower is located 1 mi (1.6 km) east of House Mountain and stands 1,752 ft (534 m) above ground level. When used for television broadcasts by its former owner, Multimedia, Inc. (former licensee of WBIR-TV, Knoxville) it was shielded by mountains from the audience in the western Knoxville suburbs such as Farragut, Oak Ridge, and Oliver Springs. This tower was built because the owners of WBIR-TV could not obtain land atop nearby House Mountain, because the only land suitable for a television tower base on the mountain had been purchased by the station's main competitor WATE-TV, Knoxville. When completed, it was, for a short time the tallest man-made structure on Earth.

Texas

Height data according to FCC's ASR entries.

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

  • American Tower Corporation Tower Suffolk
    • Height: 1,254.9 feet (382.5 m)
    • Suffolk at 36°48'31.8" N and 76°30'11.3"
    • Year built: 2003
    • Owner: American Tower Corporation )
    • WGNT, WHRO-TV, WTKR, WTPC-TV, WTVZ-TV

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Puerto Rico

An incomplete list of the tallest structures in Puerto Rico. Main reference: U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) database

StructureHeight (ft)Height (metres)Year builtStructure TypeUsePlaceComments
Aguada VLF transmission mast1,205 ft (367 m)367.3 m ?Guyed mastVLF/LF-transmissionAguadaOperated by US Navy
Telemundo WKAQ TV Tower1,105 ft (337 m)336.8 m1971Guyed mastUHF/VHF-transmissionCayey
Cayey Pegasus Broadcasting Tower1,091 ft (333 m)332.5 m1966Guyed mastUHF/VHF-transmissionCayeyDestroyed by Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017
Arso Radio Tower682 ft (208 m)208 m1996Guyed mastUHF/VHF-transmissionCabo Rojo
La Cadena del Milagro Tower548 ft (167 m)167 m1991Lattice towerUHF/VHF-transmissionUtuadoDestroyed by Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017
Arecibo Observatory492 ft (150 m)150 m1963Radio telescopeRadio and Radar astronomyAreciboWorld's largest radio telescope

By structural type

Tallest structures in the United States for different uses/structural types. Please expand and/or correct, if necessary

CategoryStructureCityHeight
Guyed mastKRDK-TV mastTraill County, ND2,060 feet (627.9 m)
SkyscraperOne World Trade CenterNew York City, NY1,776 feet (541.3 m)
Guyed mast insulated against groundVLF transmitter LualualeiLualualei, HI1,503 feet (458.1 m)
ChimneyHomer City Generating StationHomer City, PA1,217 feet (370.9 m)
Concrete towerStratosphere TowerLas Vegas, NV1,149 feet (350.2 m)
Free-standing lattice towerWITI TV TowerShorewood, WI1,081 feet (329.5 m)
BridgeRoyal Gorge BridgeCañon City, CO1,053 feet (321.0 m)
Suspension BridgeGolden Gate BridgeSan Francisco, CA746 feet (227.4 m)
DamOroville DamOroville, CA770 feet (234.7 m)
MasonryAnaconda Smelter StackAnaconda, MT585 feet (178.3 m)
Monumental columnSan Jacinto MonumentLa Porte, TX567 feet (172.8 m)
StoneWashington MonumentWashington, DC555 feet (169.2 m)
Electricity pylonSunshine Mississippi Powerline Crossing Plaquemine, Louisiana540 feet (164.6 m)
Industrial buildingVABKennedy Space Center, FL526 feet (160.3 m)
ChurchRiverside ChurchNew York City, NY392 feet (119.5 m)
Aerial tramway support pillarRoosevelt Island TramwayNew York City, NY250 feet (76.2 m)

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ List of tallest structures in the world#Current
  2. ↑ "Louisiana's tallest tower collapse adds to Ida broadcasting outages | Wireless Estimator". September 2021.
  3. ↑ "FCCInfo Structure Registration Results".
  4. ↑ "FCCInfo Structure Registration Results".
  5. ↑ "FCCInfo Structure Registration Results".
  6. ↑ "Licensee for Ozarks Public Television reaches $3.2M settlement from 2018 tower collapse". 22 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "Office Buildings - Skyscrapers || World Trade Center".
  8. ↑ "FCCInfo Structure Registration Results".
  9. ↑ "FCCInfo Results".
  10. ↑ "LORAN-C General Information". www.navcen.uscg.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
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