Height Limits

I was wondering what parks have height restrictions on them because of local laws. I know Alton Towers can't build above the tree limit, any others?
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Drive to theme parks for the food, stay for the coasters!! Knott's Fried Chicken
Actually, alot of parks have height limits but usually are waived if you go before the local board of the town the park is in. Alton Towers seems to be the minority because they wont budge with the limit. Gurnee, Il has a height restriction of 125 ft but SFGAm goes before the board and gets the approval for a higher limit on a ride. Its basically a case by case basis.
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"The Peoples Elbow" or "The Spinaroonie?. Cant decide which is the most electrifying move in sports entertainment!!! LOL
SFMW has one of 150' but I think they're going to raise it.

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We're not White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian. We're American!

Jeff's avatar
And this is according to who? All that talk of plains and hearts makes me think of "America the Beautiful."

Most everyplace in the US has local zoning code that dictates what you can build on whatever land and how tall it can be. However, only in rare cases are limitations imposed by aircraft. (I would think Kentucky Kingdom might fall into this category.) Regardless, you can always get a variance from the local planning authority if what you want to do fits within their vision.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

How ridgid the height limitations are varies greatly from place to place and is generally set by local building codes.  In a few rare cases, height may be limited by proximity to an airport, but this is rare for parks.  It's more likely to be a problem if you want to build a giant TV antenna tower.

Some places such as DC are very ridgid on height limitations.  They want the Washington Monument and the Capitol to always stand out in their skyline.  Prince Geroges County also seems to be pretty inflexible on the height limitations for SFA.  Other jurisdictions are more flexible in allowing variances.

Dorney can't build over 200'.

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Life is like a Paulie Shore movie, It dosn't make sense.

SFoG has a 200' limit, but they (the suits) suggested during Viper's farewell celebration that the restriction may have a little "wiggle room".  I took that as a hint re: the '02 ride, and even at 5+ hours' drive, I'm hoping for a S:RoS clone!
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rollergator - intent on improving the "guest experience" - coming soon to a park near you
Airports are a real pain in the neck, as "obstructions" (that is, height limits that have to be contended with) are...

* 500 feet
* 200 feet above established airport elevation within three nautical miles of the airport
* 150 feet for a distance of 10,000 feet from either end of any runway, plus an additional 20:1 conical slope for an additional 4,000 feet from the end of that 10,000-foot radius.

So from the end of a runway, the effective height limit would be 150' for the first 10,000 feet, increasing to 350' at a distance of 14,000 feet from the end of the runway. To put it another way, for Kentucky Kingdom to build a 200' coaster, they would have to position its highest point at least 11,000 feet (2.1 miles) from the end of the LVL runway. That's assuming I am reading the statute correctly.

By the way, before someone issues my usual challenge: 14 CFR I:77.23-77.29 inclusive, which you can read here.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I guess we got lucky here in Vegas as several resorts and attractions, including Skyscreamer at The Park at MGM Grand lie less than 1 mile from our airport. Fortunately the runways are positioned so that they dont effect anything.

Eventually they will be building another international airport towards Primm......

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"ok everyone go ahead and pull down on your shoulder restraint so you feel nice and stuck!"

Dont forget Valleyfair has height restrictions also.
In other word never build a park near a airport.
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Montu, God Of Coasters

Raging Bull, Don't Fight It, Ride It

Pitt-Fall ride has a blinking strobe light on the top of it.
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Kennywood is my home park!!!

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