(A) Intent. Lighting standards are established to provide for safe lighting levels with minimum glare onto streets and neighboring property. All outdoor lighting shall be planned, erected, altered and maintained in accordance with the following provisions except for single-family dwellings and duplex dwellings.
(B) Lighting plan. The town shall require an outdoor lighting plan produced by an engineer or architect licensed to practice in the State of North Carolina. The plans must include the stamp/seal, license number and signature of the engineer or architect responsible for the plan and shall be required as part of the site plan review process.
(C) Inspection required. All outdoor lighting fixtures may be subject to annual inspection by the Planning and Inspections Department to assure that the fixtures are in compliance with these provisions. When a fixture fails to comply, the Planning and Inspections Department shall give written notice to the owner of the site on which the fixtures are located stating that the fixture shall be brought into compliance or removed at the owner's expense within 30 days of receipt of the notice.
(D) Lighting prohibited.
(1) No fixture shall be erected which is an imitation of an official highway or traffic-control light or sign.
(2) No fixture shall be in a direct line of vision with any traffic-control sign or light.
(3) No fixture shall have a flashing or intermittent pattern of illumination.
(4) No fixture shall be located within a public right-of-way unless approved by the Department of Public Services, Public Works Division.
(5) No fixture shall be erected, either indoors or outdoors, which because of the design of light source, orientation or intensity causes glare onto adjacent property or streets.
(6) Search lights are prohibited except when used by federal, state or local authority.
(7) No fixture shall violate any law of the State of North Carolina relative to outdoor lighting.
(8) All neon lighting is prohibited except as allowed in § 153.077;
(9) Light fixtures shall not exceed building height limits for the zone in which they are constructed except that accredited school athletic facilities may not exceed a height of 90 feet.
(E) General provisions.
(1) All lighting new and existing shall be brought into compliance within three years of February 28, 2001.
(2) When placed in a cluster the combined wattage shall not exceed the permitted footcandle level for the object or area they are designed to illuminate.
(3) All light produced on-site shall be contained within the perimeter of the site by design, orientation or shielding of the light source.
(4) All wiring for outdoor lighting shall be placed underground.
(5) Principal buildings in commercial or industrial use shall be lighted on all sides for security at the permitted intensity shown in the table below.
(6) Lighting fixtures shall be designed to withstand a maximum wind velocity of 110 miles per hour and in no case shall exceed the allowable building height limit.
(7) The following average footcandles or lighting intensity levels shall be maintained: (Changes to the intensity levels may be effected by the Board of Commissioners for good cause shown.)
Type of Outdoor Area or Use
|
Permitted Range of Average Footcandles Minimum - Maximum
|
Parking Areas
| |
Type of Outdoor Area or Use
|
Permitted Range of Average Footcandles Minimum - Maximum
|
Parking Areas
| |
Drive-in restaurants | 7-10 |
Sexually oriented businesses | 7-10 |
Retail uses not otherwise listed | 4-7 |
Commercial parking lots | 4-7 |
Industrial and warehouses | 0.5-1 |
Residential (other than single-family and duplex) | 0.5-1 |
Hotels and motels | 4-7 |
Places of worship | 0.5-7 |
Event gardens | 1.0-4.0 |
Building Exteriors | |
Loading platforms | 10 |
Commercial entrances | 5 |
Inactive storage | 1 |
Architectural | 1 |
Security | |
Commercial | 1 |
Industrial | 1 |
Walkways/roads | 1 |
Recreational | |
Accredited school athletic facilities | 40-50 |
Baseball/football/soccer | 20 |
Tennis/handball/volleyball | 20 |
Basketball | 10 |
Archery/badminton | 10 |
Golf (miniature)/swimming pool | 10 |
Fishing pier | 10 |
Playground | 5 |
Roller hockey/skateboard park | 40-50 |
Marina | 2 |
(8) With any 1,000 square foot area, lighting intensity levels cannot exceed twice the maximum footcandle allowed for the respective use.
(Ord. 91-08, passed 11-18-91; Am. Ord. 99-04, passed 2-8-99; Am. Ord. 01-02, passed 2-28-01; Am. Ord. 02-10, passed 6-26-02; Am. Ord. 06-19, passed 8-14-06; Am. Ord. 13-3, passed 3-20-13; Am. Ord. 18-4, passed 6-14-21)