FAA Construction Crane Filing: 45-Day Deadline and Form 7460

FAA crane filing requirements kick in whenever a construction crane will reach more than 200 feet above the ground, or sit close enough to an airport or heliport that its boom would break through the sloped airspace surfaces that protect approach and departure paths. If either applies, you file Form 7460-1 through the FAA’s Obstruction Evaluation portal at least 45 days before the crane goes up, then file Form 7460-2 at three later milestones. Skipping any of these steps carries civil penalties that can reach six figures for individuals and seven figures for companies, plus a flat $1,000-per-day fine for missed 7460-2 notices.¹

Which Cranes Have to Be Reported

The triggers are set out in 14 CFR 77.9, and they operate independently. Hit any one and you must file.²

The 200-Foot Trigger

Any construction or alteration more than 200 feet above ground level at its site requires notice, regardless of distance from an airport. For a crane, the measurement is the highest point the boom can reach at full extension, not the mast height alone. A 180-foot mast with a luffing boom that peaks at 220 feet is a 220-foot structure for filing purposes.²

The Sloped Surfaces Around Airports and Heliports

A crane well under 200 feet still needs notice if it breaks through an imaginary surface sloping upward from a nearby runway or heliport. The slope depends on the facility:

Runways longer than 3,200 feet: 100-to-1 slope extending 20,000 feet from the nearest point of the runway. At 10,000 feet out, a crane taller than 100 feet crosses the surface.
Runways 3,200 feet or shorter: 50-to-1 slope extending 10,000 feet.
Heliports: 25-to-1 slope extending 5,000 feet from the landing and takeoff area.

These rules cover public-use airports listed in government flight information publications, military airports, airports under construction for public use, and any airport or heliport with at least one FAA-approved instrument approach procedure.²

Cranes Over Roads, Rail, and Water

A less obvious trigger catches crane work above traveled routes. If the crane sits over a highway, railroad, or waterway, you add the clearance height of traffic that normally uses that route before checking against the 200-foot or slope thresholds: 17 feet for Interstate Highways, 15 feet for other public roads, and 23 feet for railroads.² Bridge and overpass jobs often hit the threshold this way even when the crane itself looks modest.

The Narrow Shielding Exemption

The regulation carves out one exemption. A crane in a congested urban area that is fully shielded by existing permanent structures or natural terrain of equal or greater height, and would not affect air navigation safety, does not need to file. The exemption is tight. When in doubt, file. The filing itself costs nothing, and an unnecessary submission causes no harm. A missed one can halt the project.²

The 45-Day Deadline

Form 7460-1 must be submitted at least 45 days before the earlier of: the date construction starts, or the date you apply for a construction permit. For crane work, “start of construction” means the date the crane is erected, not the date groundbreaking begins on the underlying building. The 45 days give the FAA time to run its aeronautical study and, if needed, open a public comment period.³

One exception applies: genuine emergencies involving essential public services, public health, or public safety. If a collapsed utility pole demands a crane immediately to restore power, you can notify the FAA by the fastest means available, including a phone call to the nearest flight service station outside business hours, and then file the completed Form 7460-1 within five days. A tight developer schedule does not qualify.³

Data You Need Before You Open the Portal

The FAA rejects filings with imprecise location data, and a rejected filing does not pause your 45-day clock. Have the technical details in hand before you start.

Coordinates

Latitude and longitude must be in the NAD 83 datum, accurate to at least the nearest second and preferably the nearest hundredth of a second. Handheld GPS readings are not acceptable. The FAA’s own instructions note that handheld GPS is accurate to within 100 meters (about 328 feet) only 95% of the time, which is too coarse for airspace analysis.⁴ Use a licensed surveyor or survey-grade equipment.

Site Elevation and Structure Height

Two vertical numbers, easily confused. Site elevation is the ground height at the crane base in feet above mean sea level. Structure height is how far the crane reaches above ground level at maximum extension. The FAA adds them to get the crane’s total height above sea level, which is the figure that matters for airspace clearance. Verify site elevation from a survey or elevation certificate, not a topographic map estimate.

Multiple Cranes on One Site

Each crane gets its own coordinates and its own Form 7460-1 when cranes are spaced apart on the property. The FAA evaluates each structure against flight paths and airport surfaces individually. Cranes that move across the site during the project need filings that reflect their positions at maximum reach.

Filing Through the OE/AAA Portal

All filings go through the FAA’s Obstruction Evaluation / Airport Airspace Analysis system at oeaaa.faa.gov.⁵ Create an account if you do not have one. The FAA support desk at (202) 580-7500 handles login and account issues.⁶

Once logged in, choose to file a new notice and work through the prompts using your prepared coordinate, elevation, and height data. The system accepts supplemental maps and site diagrams. Check every field before submitting. A transposed digit in your coordinates can place the crane miles away, triggering either an unnecessary review or an FAA clearance for a location that does not reflect reality.

After submission, the system issues an aeronautical study number (ASN). Save it. You will need it later for Form 7460-2, and inspectors may ask for it on site. The date of successful electronic submission is when your 45-day clock starts.

What Happens After You File

The FAA runs an aeronautical study of your crane against existing flight procedures, minimum altitudes, radar coverage, and navigation equipment in the area.⁷ Not every filing triggers public comment. The FAA opens a 30-day “circularization” only when the structure exceeds obstruction standards and an airport is affected, when there is a possible impact on visual flight rules operations, or when aeronautical procedures would need to change.⁸ Simple cases well below obstruction standards resolve quickly. Complex projects near busy instrument-approach airports take the longest. Track your case in the OE/AAA portal.

Determination of No Hazard

If the crane will not interfere with air navigation, the FAA issues a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation. It expires 18 months after its effective date unless extended, and it becomes void immediately if the project is abandoned.⁹ It may impose marking and lighting conditions that must be followed for the full time the crane is on site. Read the determination closely: it will often direct you to file supplemental notices (Form 7460-2) when the crane reaches its greatest height and when it comes down.

Notice of Presumed Hazard and Determination of Hazard

If the study suggests interference with safe flight operations, the FAA issues a Notice of Presumed Hazard, which signals that more intensive review and public comment will follow. The agency may negotiate with you to lower the crane’s maximum height, restrict operating hours, or shift its position on site. If those talks fail and the crane would still have a substantial adverse effect on aeronautical operations, the FAA issues a Determination of Hazard to Air Navigation. It becomes final 40 days after issuance unless an interested party petitions for review within 30 days. The FAA notes that its determination “does not relieve the sponsor of compliance responsibilities relating to any law, ordinance, or regulation of any Federal, state, or local government body.”¹⁰ Proceeding against a Hazard determination affects insurance, local permits, and liability exposure if an aviation incident occurs.

Marking and Lighting Conditions

When the determination imposes marking or lighting, compliance is a condition of the determination remaining valid. The standards come from Advisory Circular 70/7460-1M, which addresses cranes individually because of the wide variation in configurations.¹¹

Daytime marking preference is aviation orange, or alternating aviation orange and white paint. Where repainting is impractical, bright contrasting colors are acceptable; colors that blend in, like sky blue or forest green, are not. Flag markers of at least two feet per side, solid aviation orange or in an orange-and-white checkerboard pattern, add daytime visibility at the highest point.¹¹

For night and reduced visibility, the standard setup uses flashing red L-864 lights at the highest point and steady-burning red L-810 lights at boom ends and along the structure’s top to outline its shape. High-intensity lights are specifically not recommended for temporary structures like cranes. Medium-intensity white lights may be used to supplement or substitute for daytime marking on structures over 200 feet.¹¹

The Form 7460-2 Milestones People Forget

A No Hazard determination is the halfway point, not the finish line. Form 7460-2, Notice of Actual Construction or Alteration, must be filed at three separate milestones:

At least 48 hours before the crane goes up.
Within 5 days after the crane reaches its greatest height.
Within 5 days after the crane is dismantled.

These deadlines carry a $1,000-per-day civil penalty for anyone who knowingly and willfully fails to give the required notice, running from the day the notice was due until the FAA receives it.¹ You file through the same OE/AAA portal, referencing your ASN from the 7460-1. This is the step contractors most often miss. The initial filing gets attention; the closeout when the crane comes down does not.

If Your Determination Is About to Expire

A No Hazard determination expires 18 months after its effective date.⁹ If the crane has not gone up yet and the project is running long, you can petition for an extension, but only if actual structural work (such as laying a foundation) has not started, and only if you file the petition at least 15 days before expiration. For projects that do not require an FCC construction permit, the FAA may grant one extension of up to 18 months.¹² Miss the 15-day window or let the determination lapse, and you file a new Form 7460-1 and go through the whole aeronautical study again. Calendar the expiration date the day the determination arrives.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

The FAA has broad enforcement authority over anyone who skips the filing rules or violates the conditions of a determination. Civil penalty actions can reach up to $100,000 against individuals and up to $1,200,000 against companies and other entities that are not small businesses. Per-violation amounts typically run between $1,100 and $75,000, depending on the provision and the party being penalized.¹³

Beyond fines, the FAA can resolve cases through informal conferences and settlements that may include compromise orders, and for contractors or operators who hold FAA-issued certificates for other activities, a violation can lead to certificate suspension or revocation.¹³ State and local crane permitting sits on top of the FAA process, and a federal violation can complicate those permits too. The most avoidable exposure remains the $1,000-per-day fine for missed Form 7460-2 filings, which accrues against contractors who did everything right on the front end and then forgot to close the loop.¹

1
Federal Aviation Administration. Notice of Actual Construction or Alteration – FAA Form 7460-2
2
eCFR. 14 CFR 77.9 – Construction or Alteration Requiring Notice
3
eCFR. 14 CFR 77.7 – Form and Time of Notice
4
Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Form 7460-1 – Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration
5
Federal Aviation Administration. Obstruction Evaluation / Airport Airspace Analysis
6
Federal Aviation Administration. Obstruction Evaluation
7
eCFR. 14 CFR 77.31 – Determinations
8
Federal Aviation Administration. Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters – Order JO 7400.2R
9
eCFR. 14 CFR 77.33 – Effective Period of Determinations
10
Federal Aviation Administration. Chapter 7 – Determinations
11
Federal Aviation Administration. Advisory Circular 70/7460-1M
12
eCFR. 14 CFR 77.35 – Extensions, Terminations, Revisions and Corrections
13
Federal Aviation Administration. Legal Enforcement Actions