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Free tool · ASCE 7-22 · poles and attachments

Will the pole take that?

Use this when: Adding a camera, light, antenna or sign to an existing pole and someone asks whether the pole can take it.

The pole

From the pole manufacturer’s EPA chart: the maximum EPA the pole carries at a stated wind speed.

The attachment

Camera, fixture, antenna, sign or bracket. Add the EPAs if there is more than one thing on the pole.

Need V? Design wind speed by address. Flat terrain (Kzt = 1) and sea level (Ke = 1) assumed; Kd 0.85 and G 0.85 applied to the demand.

Capacity ÷ demand

–ratio

Room on the pole

–

Screening only. Capacity is read from the rating condition (Kz = Kzt = 1, no Kd or G); demand uses ASCE 7-22 Kz at the mounting height with Kd 0.85 and G 0.85. The pole’s actual chart, the base, the foundation and every attachment together decide the real answer.

Questions

What is EPA?
Effective Projected Area, in square feet: the wind-catching area of a fixture, camera, sign or antenna, already multiplied by its drag coefficient. Pole makers rate each pole for a maximum EPA at a given wind speed; fixture and camera makers publish the EPA of their products.
What does the ratio mean?
The pole’s rated moment capacity divided by the moment the attachment creates at the design wind speed. 1.5 or more passes this screening; between 1.0 and 1.5 is close enough that an engineer should look; under 1.0 the attachment exceeds the pole’s rating.
Can I use this for a permit or a utility attachment request?
No. It is a screening tool. The sealed EPA & wind load report checks the exact pole (manufacturer chart, wall thickness, base), the full attachment set, the foundation and the local wind speed, and that is what the AHJ or the pole owner accepts.
Where do I get the design wind speed?
From the ASCE 7-22 hazard map for the risk category, or our free wind speed tool. Florida HVHZ counties and the Keys are well above 170 mph.

What happens next

Take the number somewhere.

Sealed · quoted Need the sealed EPA report? A PE-sealed EPA & wind load analysis for the exact pole and attachment set, with the foundation check, written for the pole owner or the AHJ. Fixed price. See the report package →
Sealed packages from $450

The permit version.

Fixed price for single-family residential. You order, upload the product data, and a PE-sealed PDF comes back in a few business days.

See the packages