(A) Outdoor lighting intensity must be limited to reduce nuisances to neighboring uses and protect the night sky from light pollution.
(B) All outdoor lighting, except sign illumination, shall comply with the following:
(1) Measurements are to be made at ground level, with the light-registering portion of the meter held parallel to the ground pointing up.
(2) Lighting must not be oriented to direct glare or excessive illumination onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks.
(3) Between dusk and dawn, outdoor lighting other than sign illumination may not exceed a correlated color temperature of 3000 Kelvins, in order to protect public health and wildlife.
(4) All lighting fixtures and poles within a common development shall be consistent in style, color, size, height, and design and are compatible with the architecture character of the development. Service connections for all freestanding lighting fixtures must be installed underground.
(C) A photometric plan showing compliance with these standards shall be submitted along with all site plans for non-residential developments. The photometric plan may be incorporated into the site plan if all photometric plan components are included. The lighting plan shall include all of the following:
(1) All structure(s), parking spaces, building entrances, traffic areas (both vehicular and pedestrian);
(2) Vegetation that might interfere with lighting;
(3) Adjacent uses that might be adversely impacted by the lighting;
(4) All exterior lighting, including but not limited to, architectural, building-entrance, landscaping, flag, accent, etc.; and
(5) A layout of all proposed fixtures by location, orientation, aiming direction, mounting height and type.
(D) The following exterior lighting is exempt from the requirements of this section:
(1) FAA-mandated lighting associated with a utility tower or airport;
(2) Lighting for the United States flag, Ohio flag, a county or city flag, a corporate flag, or any other flag;
(3) Festive lighting during the months of November, December, and January, provided the lighting does not create
unsafe glare on street rights-of-way;
(4) Battery-powered emergency lighting;
(5) Architectural lighting using lamps of 800 lumens or less; and
(6) Public safety lighting.
Location or Use | Luminance | Fixture Height | Additional Standards |
Location or Use | Luminance | Fixture Height | Additional Standards |
R-1, R-2, R-3, MUN, PR, UR | 0.5 footcandles max. at property line | 15 ft. max. | - |
C, G, IE, I, R-C, A-1, CB, IC | 2.0 footcandles max. at property line | 20 ft. max. | - |
Parking lots | 2.50 footcandles max. at property line | 30 ft. max. | Full cutoff fixtures required |
Pedestrian areas | 2.0 footcandles max. at boundary of pedestrian area | 15 ft. max. | - |
Sports fields | 50 footcandles max. at edge of play area | 100 ft. max. | (1) All lighting fixtures shall be equipped with an existing glare control package (e.g., louvers, shields, or similar devices) and aimed so that their beams are directed and fall within the primary playing or performance area only. (2) The hours of operation for the lighting system for any game or event shall not continue more than one hour after the end of the game or event. |
Under canopies | 5 footcandles max. | N/A | (1) Recessed fixtures must incorporate a lens cover that is either recessed or flush with the bottom of the canopy surface; (2) Lighting fixtures must incorporate shields or must be shielded by the edge of the canopy itself; (3) Surface mounted fixtures must incorporate flat glass that provides a cutoff design or shielded light distribution; (4) Surface mounted fixtures may not measure more than 2 feet by 2 feet, with a lens cover that contains at least 2% white fill diffusion material; or (5) Indirect lighting must be beamed upward and then reflected down from the underside of the canopy, provided the fixture is shielded so that direct illumination is focused exclusively on the underside of the canopy. |
Flood lights and lamps | N/A | N/A | (1) Flood light fixtures must be either aimed down at least 45 degrees from the vertical or the front of the fixtures must be shielded so that no portion of the light bulb extends below the bottom edge of the shield. (2) Any flood light fixture located within 50 feet of a street right-of-way must be mounted and aimed perpendicular to the right-of-way, with a side-to-side horizontal aiming tolerance not to exceed 15 degrees. (3) All flood lamps emitting 1,000 or more lumens must be aimed at least 60 degrees down from horizontal or shielded so that the main beam is not visible from adjacent properties or the street right-of-way. |
Table 27: Outdoor Lighting Regulations.
(Ord. 9098, passed 6-12-2023)