(a) Purpose. The purpose of this Section is to regulate the placement, orientation, distribution patterns, and fixture types of outdoor lighting in the City of Olmsted Falls in order to preserve, protect, and enhance the predominantly residential character of the City and the lawful nighttime use and enjoyment of property located within the City. Appropriate site lighting, including lights for signs, buildings, and streets, shall be arranged so as to:
(1) Provide safety, utility, and security.
(2) Control light trespass and glare on adjacent properties and public roadways.
(3) Minimize atmospheric light pollution.
(b) Definitions. For the purpose of this subsection, the following definitions shall apply.
(1) FOOTCANDLE: A unit of illumination produced on a surface, all points of which are one foot from a uniform point source of one candle.
(2) FULL-SHIELDED (OR FULL CUT-OFF TYPE) FIXTURE: An outdoor lighting fixture that is shielded or constructed so that all light emitted is projected below a horizontal plane running through the lowest light-emitting part of the fixture.
 | • Full cut-off lighting directs light down and to the sides as needed and provides more control of light. • Reduces glare and provides more even illumination. • Reduces light trespass onto neighboring properties . • Helps preserve the dark night sky. |
University of Texas, Austin | |
(3) RECESSED CEILING FIXTURE: An outdoor lighting fixture recessed into a canopy ceiling so that the bottom of the fixture, including the lens, does not extend below the ceiling or canopy.
(4) GLARE: Direct light that causes annoyance, discomfort, or loss in visual performance and visibility.
(5) ILLUMINANCE: The quantity of light arriving at a surface divided by the area of that surface, measured in footcandles.
(6) LIGHT TRESPASS: Light (emitted by a lighting fixture) that falls outside the boundaries of the property on which the fixture is installed, where it is neither wanted nor needed.
(7) UPLIGHTING: Any light source that distributes illumination above a 90- degree horizontal plane.
Uplighting | |
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University of Texas, Austin | |
• Uplighting wastes energy into the sky. • Causes glare, light trespass and harsh illumination. • Uplighting is sometimes ineffective. | |
(c) General Requirements.
(1) Unless otherwise specifically permitted, all outdoor lighting fixtures, including but not limited to those used for streets, parking areas, buildings, signs/billboards, displays, and landscaping, shall be full cut-off type fixtures. Fixtures for building overhangs and canopies shall be recessed.
(2) These full-cutoff fixtures shall be installed and maintained so that the shielding is effective as described in subsection (b)(2) above.
(3) Signs wholly illuminated from within are acceptable, except within the Historic District, and do not require shielding.
(4) Uplighting shall be prohibited, except that the Architectural Board of Review may approve directed uplighting to decoratively highlight buildings.
(5) Automobile-oriented uses such as gasoline stations, service stations, and drive-through facilities shall install recessed ceiling fixtures in any canopy.
(d) Light Trespass. Light trespass over a property line shall be limited to no more than 0.5 footcandle at the property line. All on-site lighting of buildings, lawns, parking areas, and signs shall be designed so as not to shine onto any adjacent property or building, or to cause glare that projects onto any public street or into any vehicle thereon.
(e) Measurement.
(1) Light levels shall be measured in footcandles with a direct-reading, portable light meter. Readings shall be taken only after the cell has been exposed long enough to take a constant reading.
(2) Measurements shall be taken at the property line, along a horizontal plane at a height of three and one-half feet above the ground.
(3) Light poles shall not exceed a height of twenty (20) feet.
(f) Exemptions.
(1) Decorative outdoor lighting fixtures with bulbs of less than 25 watts, installed seasonally, are exempt from the requirements of Section 1274.16.
(2) Temporary construction or emergency lighting is exempt from the requirements of Section 1274.16 provided such lighting is discontinued immediately upon completion of the construction work or abatement of the emergency necessitating said lighting.
(3) All outdoor lighting fixtures existing and legally installed prior to the effective date of this amendment are exempt from the requirements of Section 1274.16. When existing lighting fixtures become inoperative for a period of 90 days, their replacements are subject to the provisions of this subsection.
(4) Nothing in Section 1274.16 shall apply to lighting required by the FAA or any other federal regulatory authority.
(Ord. 75-2005. Passed 10-11-05.)