Rent terms
Ferguson, Missouri
$1,600 / month
A ground lease for a tower site. Rent starts at $1,600 a month and goes up every year starting in year two, so the rent paid today is a different number.
Real cell tower lease deals you can read for yourself
The short answer
See how real leases list rent, extra payments and buyout prices. Each example links to the original document so you can read it yourself.
What could change the answerHow old the document is, what kind of payment it shows, what kind of property it covers, and whether it is a proposal or a signed deal.
Your next stepTell Me What My Lease Is Worth
On this page
MyTowerLease.com · Updated
5 records shown
Rent terms
Hialeah, Florida
$45,023.68 / year + $300 / month
A tower lease the city approved in 2023 by passing Ordinance 2023-044. It sets a yearly base rent plus a separate monthly payment for extra equipment. These are the 2023 terms, so check what is paid today.
Lease extension
Des Peres, Missouri
$19,933 / year
In 2022 the city looked at giving the tower company more years on an existing lease. $19,933 was the yearly base rent before the extension. Payments for other phone companies on the tower came on top of that. See page 17 of the PDF.
Buyout
Fair Oaks, California
$2,001,000 proposed price
The local park district planned to sell its tower lease rent for one lump sum. The sale included an easement. This is the price proposed on August 21, 2024. It does not show whether the sale was finished.
Buyout
Moraga, California
$101,489 lump sum for the lease
A local public district (the Moraga GHAD) agreed on August 23, 2023 to sell its tower lease rent and rights for a lump sum. It shows the agreed price, not whether the sale was finished.
Download the list as a spreadsheet. It has every example with its original link and a note on where each deal stood.
What's in this library
These five examples show different ways tower deals get written down. Ferguson shows a starting rent that rises each year. Hialeah splits base rent from a separate payment for extra equipment. Des Peres shows the rent before a proposed extension. Fair Oaks and Moraga show buyouts, where the owner sells the future rent for one lump sum.
Open the original next to each example to see the full terms and date.
Is it a proposal or a done deal?
Check the date first. Then figure out what you are reading: a recommendation to a city board, a proposed agreement, signed terms, or a document filed with the county. A proposed price and money actually paid are not the same thing.
The note on each example tells you which kind it is. Keep that in mind when you compare its number with anything else.
Monthly, yearly or one time?
Keep these apart: yearly base rent, monthly rent, equipment payments, a share of what the tower company collects, and one-time buyout prices.
| Detail | What to check |
|---|---|
| Who owns the land | Who owns the property or gets paid |
| Date | When the terms were proposed or signed |
| Amount and unit | Monthly, yearly, one time, or only if something happens |
| Payment type | Base rent, extra payment or buyout price |
| Where to look | The part or page of the document with the number |
| Status | Proposed, signed, or another stage |
Our rates guide shows how to compare different kinds of payments.
What each example can tell you
A rent clause shows how one payment was written. An extension shows what changes were asked for. A map of an easement shows which part of the land the buyer could use. None of them tells you what you should accept for your own lease.
Our lease checklist helps you find the right papers. If someone wants to buy your rent and rights, the buyout guide shows what to compare.
Not every tower lease is from the landowner's side. A landowner who gets rent and a tower company that pays rent are on opposite sides of the deal. Check which side you are looking at before you use the number.
Turn an example into a question about your lease
If a lease pays extra for added equipment, check whether yours does too. If a buyout includes a permanent easement, find out how much land and which rights you would give up. If an extension changes the rent schedule, compare both the increase and when it starts.
Use the rural worksheet to write down your site details. Use the buyout guide to weigh the rights you give up against the price.
Share an example or fix a mistake
When you share an example, include who owns the land, the date, the payment unit and the link. That way the next person can find the same page.
If a link stops working or you spot a mistake, email [email protected]. Tell us the example name, where the problem is and the fix.
Bring it back to your own lease
Keep your lease, any amendments and your recent payments next to these examples. Mark the parts you want to ask about. Bring those questions to the tower company when it asks to change, extend or buy your lease.
Our lease checklist helps you organize the paperwork.
Where can I find my own lease?
Start with the papers from when you bought or inherited the land. Then ask the company that pays your rent, in writing, for a copy of the lease and every amendment. Also ask for all the exhibits. Give them your site number if you have one so they can find the right file.
Don't have your lease? Ask the company that pays your rent, in writing, for a copy of the lease and every signed change to it. Include your site number from your rent statement, and have every owner of the land sign the request. Use the contact details on your rent check or statement, not ones from an unexpected letter.
Want an example from city or county land? Search that government's meeting documents for the site address, the tower company's name and "cell tower lease." The Fair Oaks proposal is one example of a lease deal posted with board meeting materials.
| What you need | Where to start | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Your current lease | Your files and the company that manages your lease | Lease, amendments, exhibits and notices |
| An example on public land | The city or county's meeting documents | The lease proposal and any later approval or change |
| A lease summary filed with the county | The county recorder's office | The filing named in your deed or the papers from your purchase |
It may leave out the rent schedule and later changes. Keep it with the full lease, not instead of it. The document checklist helps you put the pieces together.
Common questions
Can I download the records list?
Yes. The spreadsheet lists each example's name, amount, original link and status notes.
Where are the original documents?
Click the link on each example to open the original document.
How should I compare the amounts?
Start with the payment type and date. Keep monthly rent, yearly rent, extra payments and one-time buyout prices separate.
Where should I look for a missing copy of my lease?
Check the papers from when you bought or inherited the land. Then ask the company that pays your rent, in writing, for the lease, amendments and exhibits. Give your site number if you have one, and use the company's official contact details.
Is a recorded memorandum the full lease?
Not always. A memorandum can name the lease and the land rights without the full payment terms. Get the full lease and amendments before you compare rent or decide what to sell.
Original documents
- Ferguson, Missouri: land lease for a cell tower
- Hialeah, Florida: city law approving a tower lease (Ordinance 2023-044)
- Des Peres, Missouri: 2022 plan to add years to a tower lease
- Fair Oaks, California: proposed sale of a tower lease, August 21, 2024
- Moraga, California: agreement to sell a tower lease, August 23, 2023
Know what the offer means for you
Compare your rent and offer, then use the questions above to decide what to ask for next.