General FAQs (latest revision 01/03/2013)

No, there are no fees associated with any part of an aeronautical study or obtaining a determination from the FAA.

You may use the Notice Criteria Tool link to determine whether notice is required. The tool is based on Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 77 (14 CFR Part 77). There is a link to Part 77 on the home page of the website. Subpart B of part 77 identifies when construction or alteration requires or does not require notice.

If notice is required, you may submit your filing electronically via this website. If you don't have an account for e-filing, there are instructions on the home page for setting up your account and e-filing the notice ("Click Here for Instructions on how to E-file your proposal with the FAA"). If you are unable to file it electronically, the hard copy of the FAA Form 7460-1 may be sent to the Mail Processing Center in Fort Worth, Texas (the address and the form are available on the website).

Notice required by 14 CFR Part 77 is pursuant to 49 U.S.C., Section 44718. Persons who knowingly and willingly violate the notice requirements of Part 77 are subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 per day until the notice is received, pursuant to 49 U.S.C., Section 46301(a).

In accordance with 14 CFR Part 77, you must provide notice at least 45 days before the start date of the proposed construction or alteration or the date an application for a construction permit is filed, whichever is earliest.

Obtaining approval from the airport or air traffic control tower manager does not waive your requirement to submit the notice to the FAA if the structure meets the notice criteria of 14 CFR Part 77. You must receive a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation from the FAA and meet all conditions identified in the determination prior to raising the crane.

If the crane is being used for new construction, a notice must also be filed for the permanent structure if it meets 14 CFR Part 77. The FAA will not normally issue a determination for a crane that exceeds the notice criteria until notified in writing that the permanent structure either (1) does not require notice, or (2) the permanent structure required notice, has been studied, and a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation has been issued. Therefore, when submitting a notice for a crane, please indicate in the Description of Proposal field that the permanent structure does not require notice or the aeronautical study number for the permanent structure.

The purpose of an aeronautical study is to determine whether the aeronautical effects of the specific proposal and, where appropriate, the cumulative impact resulting from the proposed construction or alteration when combined with the effects of other existing or proposed structures, would constitute a hazard to air navigation. The FAA requires a reasonable amount of time to conduct the study. Whenever possible, all efforts are made to handle proposals expeditiously.

If the airfield is strictly military, proposals for temporary or permanent structures should be filed as off-airport structures. If the airfield is joint-use (military and civilian operations), proposals for temporary or permanent structures should be filed as on-airport structures. Any proposed changes to the pavement on an airfield (military or joint-use), i.e., construction/modification/resurfacing of runways, taxiways, aprons, etc. should be filed as on-airport proposals.

The sponsor can be you, your company, or your client. The sponsor is the person or business ultimately responsible for the construction or alteration. The sponsor appears as the addressee on all correspondence from the FAA. If the proposal involves changes to the coordinates, site elevation or height of the structure, the notice should be submitted by the owner.

The FAA is not responsible for tracking changes in ownership. Therefore, if the FAA receives ownership changes it shall not make those corrections to issued determinations.

However, the original e-filer of the case can update the sponsor information through their registered e-filing account to reflect the new owner and ensure that the FAA has a means of contacting responsible parties with subsequent correspondence regarding the aeronautical study and determination.

The geographic coordinates may be obtained by utilizing a U.S. Geographical Survey (USGS) 7.5 minute quadrangle map or equivalent, a GPS receiver, a certified survey or other available mapping source. The coordinates must be converted to the degrees, minutes, seconds to the hundredth of a second format. The coordinates should be accurate to within the nearest second or hundredth of a second. If a certified survey is available, please submit it with the study.

The height above ground level should be the highest point, including any appurtenance or object on top of the building.

A single structure with multiple points of interest, such as a building, may be processed as a single obstruction evaluation study provided that all information including items such as maps, blue prints, elevations, etc., are provided. The highest site elevation, or finished floor elevation should be recorded as the site elevation. The tallest point on the structure should be recorded as the above ground elevation, and the closest point of the structure to the nearest runway should be recorded as the latitude/longitude. This information would be considered worst case and should be used for recording purposes. In the Description of Proposal field, state that the data submitted is the point of the building that is closest to the nearest runway and the tallest point of the building.

Note: If associated temporary construction equipment will be taller than the permanent structure, a separate notice is required. \n\nFor analysis purposes, it may be necessary to use specific information for each point of interest. If initial review indicates that additional points are necessary for aeronautical study the FAA will advise the sponsor/representative via letter that additional filings are required.

When you have created a project in your registered e-filing account by at least saving the completed case data, supporting documentation may be uploaded or fax scanned to the case. Go to My Cases and select the project name. Once the project summary page is displayed you have the option to upload a pdf by browsing your computer for your saved file; or create a bar coded fax cover sheet and fax your documents to the number provided on the cover sheet. Once a case has been submitted to the FAA and assigned an Aeronautical Study Number (ASN) the documents cannot be deleted or removed.

For those studies located off airport property or for those located on a military airfield, an aeronautical study will be conducted by the FAA Air Traffic Organization, Obstruction Evaluation Group (OEG). The OEG technician will verify that the information submitted is accurate and complete. If the information is inaccurate or incomplete the technician will request additional information. If no additional information is required the technician will verify the study which will change the status in your account to "Work in Progress." When the status is changed to "Work in Progress" your information is made available to other FAA offices and military representatives that need to review the proposal. Those offices will provide comments to the OEG and after all comments have been received, the OEG technician or specialist will issue the appropriate letter; when it's been issued the status in your account will change to "Determined." After the letter has been issued it will be available on the website. Select "Search Archives" and enter the ASN for a link to the study.

You will receive an email notifying you if the FAA requires additional information to complete an aeronautical study and you have 30 days to respond. The sponsor and representative will receive this notification, however, only the registered e-filer of the case can respond electronically. The registered user will select Add Letter from their portal page. The cases in ADD status will display. Select the case for which you are responding. View the ADD letter and then respond by selecting the link. Provide the requested information electronically through your registered e-filing account. If the information is acceptable the case will be changed to a Work In Progress; if not the FAA will reject the response and describe the information that is needed.

For proposals studied as off-airport structures (OEs) or for those located on a military airfield, select the link labeled Air Traffic Areas of Responsibility. Select the state in which the structure would be located. The contact information for the technician, specialist and crane specialist assigned to that state will be provided.

For proposals on airport property (NRAs), select the link labeled Airports Regional Contacts and find the FAA Airports Region / District Office having jurisdiction over the airport on which the construction is located, and contact the office responsible for the state in which your structure would be located. Also, please contact that office with any questions pertaining to documents/sketches associated with on-airport structures that are e-filed.

FAA standards, procedures, and types of equipment specified for marking and lighting structures are presented in Advisory Circular AC 70/7460-1K, Obstruction Marking and Lighting. These standards provide a uniform means to indicate the presence of structures and are the basis for recommending marking and lighting to the public. These standards are the minimum acceptable level of conspicuity to warn pilots of the presence of structures. All aeronautical studies include an evaluation to determine whether obstruction marking and/or lighting are necessary and to what extent. The sponsor shall utilize the type of obstruction marking/lighting that is specified in the determination. If the sponsor wishes to use a different type of marking/lighting, a notice must be submitted for a lighting study.

Sponsors should keep in mind that conspicuity is achieved only when all recommended lights are working. Partial equipment outages decrease the margin of safety. In accordance with FAA Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K, Obstruction Marking and Lighting, any outage should be corrected as soon as possible. Failure of a steady burning side or intermediate light should be corrected as soon as possible, but notification is not required. \n\nAny failure or malfunction that lasts more than thirty (30) minutes and affects a top light or flashing obstruction light, regardless of its position, should be reported immediately to the automated flight service station at 1-877-487-6867, for Alaska 1-800-478-3576, so a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) can be issued.

Yes, provided the marking and/or lighting is installed in accordance with FAA Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K, Obstruction Marking and Lighting.

AVWS stands for Audio Visual Warning System. AVWS is an all-weather, day and night, low voltage, radar-based obstacle avoidance system that utilizes current obstruction lighting products and does not require additional equipment in an aircraft. AVWS activates obstruction lighting and audio signals to alert pilots of potential collisions with obstacles. The obstruction lights and audio warnings are inactive when there is no air traffic in the area of the obstacle.

The determination will expire on the expiration date unless construction has begun or you have requested an extension of the determination at least 15 days prior to the expiration date. Construction is considered to have started if actual structural work has begun, such as the laying of a foundation but not including excavation.

A request for an extension must be received by the FAA at least 15 days prior to the expiration date. Before an extension may be granted, a review of aeronautical activity must be conducted to ensure that no changes have occurred since the determination was issued that would cause a significant adverse effect. To request the extension, you must be a registered user. After logging into your account, select "Extension Request" and enter the ASN, then submit. The FAA will conduct a review and when the review is complete, the appropriate extension letter will be issued.

To submit notice of actual construction or alteration, login to your account or register as a new user at https://oeaaa.faa.gov. Select the link labeled Add 7460-2 on your portal page. Enter the Aeronautical Study Number. From the Overview section select Add 7460-2 and select the type of Supplemental Notice that you will be providing. Complete all required fields and confirm your submission. When prompted be sure to check the box to certify the information you are reporting.

If your construction information includes any changes to the originally submitted proposal, you will be notified by the system that a new filing is required. A new study will be automatically generated by the system. Complete any remaining required data fields and submit the filing so a revised determination may be issued.

The FAA finds that the absence of steady burning Red Obstruction (L-810) lights will not impair aviation safety. The FAA is currently revising Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K, Obstruction Marking and Lighting to change the standards. Requests for approval will be accepted electronically using structure type "Deviation from Red Obstruction Light Standards".