The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana bill sets strict setback rules and conditional permits for wireless towers near schools
Last action · March 9, 2026: Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.Sponsor: Kimberly Coates
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What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 536 establishes a 1,000-foot requiring new freestanding wireless communication towers to maintain a setback of at least 110% of the tower height from any school building and obtain a .
Telecommunications operators and developers planning new towers near elementary and secondary schools face mandatory setback minimums, demonstration requirements, and annual structural compliance certifications.
- House Bill 536 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature by Representative Kimberly Coates. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
wireless communication facility operators
Wireless tower operators must comply with new setback minimums, colocation search requirements, conditional use permitting standards, and annual emergency coordination mandates.
elementary and secondary schools
Schools gain the right to receive emergency contact information, annual structural inspection certifications, and disaster response planning coordination from nearby tower operators.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a school proximity zone under this bill?
Are existing structures or stealth towers exempt from the setback rule?
What must tower operators do once a tower is built near a school?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
- Feb 26, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 26, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of School Proximity Zone Infrastructure Rules
The legislation introduces a standardized 1,000-foot protective buffer around all elementary and secondary schools for new freestanding telecommunications towers.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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