Start with the city or county permit office. That is where you will find the public records for any cell tower or small cell that has been proposed or built near your home. The permit application shows the location, the equipment, and the carrier that owns it. You can ask to see the file. You do not need a lawyer for that step.
Federal law limits how much say a local government has. Under Section 332(c)(7) of the Communications Act, a city cannot block a wireless facility because of concerns about radio-frequency emissions if the equipment meets FCC rules. That means you cannot get a permit denied simply by saying you worry about the radiation. The city still gets to decide where it goes, what it looks like, and what fees the carrier pays. But those decisions have to be made within deadlines and rules the FCC sets.
Small cells are the gray boxes or slim canisters that show up on utility poles and streetlights. They do the same job as a traditional cell tower but cover only a few blocks instead of a few miles. At the end of 2024 the wireless industry counted 447,605 cell sites in the US. Of those, 166,264 were small cells. The number keeps rising because 5G uses high-frequency bands that do not travel far. The high millimeter-wave bands carry a lot of data but fade after a short distance. So carriers put up more small cells on residential streets.
What about the radio waves themselves. Most published measurements at street level near 5G and other cell sites have come in at a few percent of the FCC limits. Right in front of the antennas the readings can be much higher. That is why rooftop areas where the antennas are get restricted. If you are concerned about specific readings near your home, the measurements from the city or the carrier may be in the permit file. Some cities also do their own testing.
If you have health concerns, that is a question for your doctor. If you think the equipment violates local zoning rules, that is a question for the city attorney or a land-use lawyer. If the issue is about the property line or the utility pole, that belongs with the utility company or the carrier. The FCC handles complaints about interference and equipment that does not meet its standards. Each of those is a different path.
You can also attend a city council or planning board meeting when the permit is up for discussion. At that meeting the applicant will explain the design and the placement. You can ask questions about screening, setback, and appearance. You cannot argue on the basis of radio-frequency health effects under current law. That does not mean you have no voice. It means the legal grounds for your objection have to be about something else the city actually controls.
Read the permit records. Look at the maps and the technical sheets. If you cannot find what you need, ask the clerk how to request it. That is the most direct step you can take.
There is a fuller write-up at what your city can and cannot do.