(A) Purpose. These regulations are intended to establish standards that ensure minimal light pollution, prevent direct light-trespass onto abutting properties, reduce glare, increase energy conservation, while providing for night lighting and security.
(B) Applicability. These regulations shall apply to all outdoor lighting including, but not limited to, search, spot or floodlights and general outdoor lighting for: buildings and structures, recreational uses, parking lots, signage, landscaping security lighting, and other possible types of outdoor lighting. Roadway and street lighting are exempt from all provisions of this § 152.059.
(C) Nonresidential lighting. The following standards apply to the lighting of all nonresidential outdoor lighting uses except public or private athletic/arena recreation fields and facilities.
(1) The height of any light fixture or illumination source shall not exceed 30 feet, except as otherwise required by applicable law.
(2) All lighting sources shall be down-lighting, and fully shielded to prevent direct light trespass onto any adjacent property.
(3) The rated Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) of light sources shall not exceed 3000K (subject to a manufacture specified color stability variation of no more than +/- 200k in CCT) to prevent the formation of an urban light cloud. Fully shielded means that fixtures are shielded in such a manner that light rays emitted by the fixture, either directly from the lamp or indirectly from the fixture, are projected below a horizontal plane running through the lowest point on the fixture where light is emitted, to prevent any light trespass from extending beyond any subject property boundaries and onto any abutting properties. See Light Fixture Diagram below for "acceptable" and "unacceptable" light fixtures regarding this section, as approved by the Director.
(4) Recreational lighting exempted from the above standards shall not exceed 2,250 lumens after 11:00 p.m. without a temporary use permit.
(D) Security ami landscape lighting.
(1) Security and landscape lighting shall be fully shielded and directed downward to prevent any direct light trespass onto any adjacent property or into the night sky, with a maximum CCT of 3,000K.
(E) Residential lighting. All exterior lighting shall be limited to 1600 lumens per fixture and any residential outdoor lighting in excess of 1600 lumens shall be fully shielded to prevent any light trespass onto any adjoining property. Indirect lighting cannot be prevented, see definition in § 152.137.
(F) Other pole-mounted lighting (walkways and paths). All lights mounted on poles shall be directed down. The light source shall be fully shielded to prevent any direct light trespass onto any adjacent property.
(G) Searchlights. The operation of searchlights shall be allowed subject to the following conditions:
(1) During the months of May through October, searchlights shall be operated only between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.;
(2) During the months of November through April, searchlights shall be operated only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.; and
(3) Searchlights shall not be operated on residentially zoned properties.
(H) Outdoor sign lighting. Commercial outdoor sign lighting shall only be allowed by means of an internal lighting source, or fully shielded and direct down lighting onto the sign. Sign down lighting shall only be allowed for signs less than 20 feet high and fully shielded and/or directed to prevent any direct light trespass onto any adjacent property.
(I) Non-conforming lighting.
(1) All existing outdoor lighting legally installed before April 22, 2023, the effective date of this chapter, that does not conform with the provisions of this chapter, shall be considered legal non-conforming.
(2) When legal non-conforming and nonconforming outdoor lighting is discontinued for six months or is damaged to the point of requiring repairs for safe operation, the reilluminated, reactivated, repaired or replacement fixture shall be required to be brought into compliance with the provisions of this section.
(3) All legal non-conforming lighting and fixtures shall be brought into conformance when performing any significant maintenance or upgrades, or expansions to the outdoor lighting. The replacement lamp shall not exceed 3000K CCT.
(4) Whenever the use of any existing building, structure, facility or premises is changed to a new use, all existing legal non-conforming and nonconforming outdoor lighting shall be brought into compliance with this section before the new use commences.
(J) Exemptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to roadway or street lighting installed in a public rights-of-way or on any property owned by a governmental entity.
(Ord. 648-18, passed 11-28-2018; Ord. 703-23, passed 3-22-2023)