Santa Monica : Antenna Approval Required

Any new satellite dish antennas in Santa Monica will have to be approved by the city until a permanent law regulating them is adopted, the City Council decided last week.

Under an emergency law passed by the council, all residents interested in placing a satellite dish on their property will have to obtain approval from the city Architectural Review Board or the Planning Commission. Any dish approved by the city would have to be screened from public view and may not be located in front or side yards, the law says.

The council passed the law to control installation of satellite dishes while the city revises its zoning ordinance, which will include standards regulating dish antennas. It will expire when the new zoning law is passed.

The zoning ordinance may be considered by the council in July or August, said City Manager John Jalili.

The law states that satellite dish antennas are increasing dramatically in the city and blocking emergency access to side yards, causing electrical interference and “visual clutter,” and creating other problems.