Cell towers in Ames, Iowa
The FCC register lists 30 antenna structures in and around Ames. That is the 8th highest count of any place in Iowa.
Overview
The FCC register lists 30 antenna structures in and around Ames, IA. That is the 8th highest count of any place in Iowa.
Counted against 68,220 residents, that is 44 per 100,000 — worth reading alongside area density, since structures cluster along roads and ridgelines rather than where people sleep.
The tallest structure on the register here is 177 m (579 ft) above ground level.
The mix here is 7 monopoles, 4 lattice towers, 2 guyed masts — the rest of the register is made up of rooftops, water tanks and structures the FCC records without a specific type.
The most recent registration on file here dates from 2017.
Structure types
| Tower | 11 | 37% |
| Monopole | 7 | 23% |
| Lattice tower | 4 | 13% |
| Tower array | 2 | 7% |
| Pole | 2 | 7% |
| Guyed tower | 2 | 7% |
| Building with tower | 1 | 3% |
| Building | 1 | 3% |
Largest registered owners
owner is not the same as carrier| Array Digital Infrastructure, INC. Tower company | 4 | 13% |
| Iowa State University of Science and Technology Government | 3 | 10% |
| Iowa Department of Transportation Government | 2 | 7% |
| Towerco IV LLC Tower company | 2 | 7% |
| Sba Towers V, LLC Tower company | 2 | 7% |
Tallest registered structures
top 25 of 30| Height | Type | Built | Owner | ASR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 m (579 ft) | Tower array | 1949 | Iowa State University of Science and Technology | 119881 |
| 149 m (489 ft) | Tower | 1967 | TV 45 INC | 121003 |
| 125 m (410 ft) | Guyed tower | 1990 | Array Digital Infrastructure, INC. | 119916 |
| 124 m (408 ft) | Guyed tower | 1973 | Vertical Bridge Cc AM, LLC | 120036 |
| 122 m (399 ft) | Lattice tower | 2017 | Iowa State Of | 2703222 |
| 112 m (367 ft) | Tower array | 1985 | Iowa State University of Science and Technology | 119882 |
| 110 m (360 ft) | Building with tower | 1978 | Jds Investments, LLC | 2630027 |
| 94 m (309 ft) | Tower | 2001 | American Towers LLC | 2651784 |
| 74 m (242 ft) | Lattice tower | 1988 | Electronic Engineering CO | 119332 |
| 66 m (215 ft) | Lattice tower | 2015 | Interstate Power and Light Company | 2695272 |
| 61 m (200 ft) | Tower | 2005 | Crown Castle Tower 05 LLC | 2624661 |
| 61 m (199 ft) | Tower | 2001 | Goldenstate Towers, LLC | 2622885 |
| 61 m (199 ft) | Tower | 1978 | Iowa State University | 126485 |
| 56 m (185 ft) | Lattice tower | 1996 | Array Digital Infrastructure, INC. | 111390 |
| 55 m (180 ft) | Tower | 2009 | State of Iowa, Dept of Transportation | 2663515 |
| 52 m (171 ft) | Tower | 1999 | Iowa Department of Transportation | 2603356 |
| 50 m (165 ft) | Monopole | 2000 | Array Digital Infrastructure, INC. | 2609357 |
| 49 m (159 ft) | Monopole | 2014 | Sba Towers V, LLC | 2692022 |
| 48 m (158 ft) | Tower | 1996 | Stc Five LLC | 119014 |
| 46 m (150 ft) | Tower | 2003 | Iowa Department of Transportation | 2636047 |
| 45 m (147 ft) | Tower | 1988 | Iowa State University of Science and Technology | 119883 |
| 44 m (144 ft) | Monopole | 2014 | Sba Towers V, LLC | 2691073 |
| 41 m (135 ft) | Monopole | 1997 | Towerco IV LLC | 2698174 |
| 41 m (133 ft) | Tower | 2008 | Cellco Partnership | 2655875 |
| 39 m (129 ft) | Pole | 2017 | Cellco Partnership | 2699497 |
When they were registered
| 1940s | 1 | 3% |
| 1960s | 1 | 3% |
| 1970s | 3 | 10% |
| 1980s | 3 | 10% |
| 1990s | 7 | 23% |
| 2000s | 9 | 30% |
| 2010s | 6 | 20% |
Nearby places
- Boone 23
- Ankeny 17
- Altoona 8
- Mitchellville 6
- Urbandale 5
About this data
All figures on this page are aggregated from the federal antenna structure register of 2026-08-23, not from carrier coverage data. The two answer different questions.
The FCC Antenna Structure Registration database covers structures that require registration — generally those over 200 feet or near airports. Many small cells, rooftop antennas and short towers are not registered and will not appear here.
"Owner" is the entity that registered the structure, usually a tower company such as American Tower or Crown Castle. It does not indicate which carriers operate equipment on the structure.