Passed by the Senate March 10, 2014 YEAS 49   BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House March 7, 2014 YEAS 96   FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Hunter G. Goodman, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6054 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. HUNTER G. GOODMAN ________________________________________ Secretary | |
Approved March 28, 2014, 2:55 p.m. JAY INSLEE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | March 31, 2014 Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/03/14.
AN ACT Relating to aeronautic safety; adding a new section to chapter 14.16 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 It is the intent of the legislature that
pilots that engage in low flying activities, such as aerial applicators
and search and rescue pilots, are provided with an as safe as possible
flying environment. It is also the intent of the legislature to create
a mechanism for alerting pilots of guyed towers that may be erected at
short notice and may be otherwise difficult to see from the air, posing
an air safety hazard.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 14.16 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Except as provided otherwise in this section, a guyed tower
twenty-five feet or more in height that is located outside the
boundaries of an incorporated city or town on land that is primarily
rural or undeveloped or used for agricultural purposes, or that is
primarily desert, and where such guyed tower's appearance is not
otherwise governed by state or federal law, rule, or regulation, is
subject to the following requirements:
(a) The tower must be painted in five foot high alternating bands
of aviation orange and white.
(b) The tower must have a flashing light at the top of the tower.
The light must be visible in clear air from a distance of two thousand
feet when flashing. Such a light must also be visible with night
vision goggles.
(c) The surface area under the footprint of the tower and the
circular area surrounding each outer tower anchor, with a radius of six
feet, should have a contrasting appearance with any surrounding
vegetation.
(d) Two marker balls must be attached to and evenly spaced on each
of the outside guy wires.
(e) The tower must have a seven foot long safety sleeve at each
anchor point and must extend from the anchor point along each guy wire
attached to the anchor point.
(2) Any guyed tower that was erected prior to the effective date of
this section must be modified as required under this section within one
year of the effective date of this section.
(3) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this
section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(a) "Guyed tower" means a tower that is supported in whole or in
part by guy wires and ground anchors or other means of support besides
the superstructure of the tower itself.
(b) "Height" means the distance measured from the original grade at
the base of the tower to the highest point of the tower.
(4) This section does not apply to:
(a) Guyed towers used for military purposes;
(b) Power poles or nonguyed tower structures owned and operated by
an electric utility as defined in RCW 80.80.010;
(c) Any structure for which the primary purpose is to support
telecommunications equipment, such as equipment for amateur radio and
broadcast radio and television services regulated by the federal
communications commission;
(d) Any guyed tower that is within fifty feet of a structure or
vegetation of equal or greater height; and
(e) Any guyed tower that is attached to a large mobile motorized
machine with a large visible base equipped with wheels, tracks, or
skids and with winches and utilized to lift or pull heavy loads, such
as a tower used to yard logs.
(5) A person who violates a provision of this section is guilty of
a misdemeanor.