(A) Purpose and intent. It is the intent of the city to promote the health, safety and welfare of its residents by establishing exterior lighting standards that:
(1) Reduce glare and light trespass;
(2) Guide exterior lighting to compliment the city's character; and
(3) Provide a secure nighttime environment.
(B) Applicability.
(1) The standards in this section shall apply to exterior lighting in any of the following:
(a) All new private development;
(b) Existing development where the number of existing fixtures is being increased by 50% or more; and
(c) Existing private development where 50% or more of the exterior lighting is being replaced.
(2) The following activities shall be exempt from this regulation:
(a) Airport, tower, or structure lighting required by federal or state agencies (such as tall communications towers, water towers or tall chimneys where lighting is required to prevent airplane collisions).
(b) Seasonal decorations using typical unshielded low-wattage incandescent lamps.
(c) Street lights authorized by government agencies.
(C) Definitions. For the purpose of this section the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACCENT LIGHTING. The type of outdoor lighting used to illuminate landscaping areas (flower beds, trees, vegetation) and other aesthetic features on a parcel (flag poles, etc.).
AMBIENT LIGHT. Existing, non-directional light present in the environment.
DIRECT LIGHT. Light emitted directly from the lamp, the reflector, the reflector diffuser, the refractor or the diffuser lens of a luminaire.
FOOT-CANDLE. Unit of illuminance measured on a surface where all points are at a distance of one foot from a directionally uniform point source of one candle and equal to one lumen per square foot.
FULLY-SHIELDED. Light emitted by the fixture, either directly or indirectly, is projected below a horizontal plane established at the lowest light emitting part of the luminaire. FULLY-SHIELDED luminaires are also known as a full-cutoff, cutoff or down lighting luminaires.
GLARE. means light emitting from a luminaire with an intensity that can reduce a viewer's ability to see.
ILLUMINANCE. The quantity of light arriving at a surface, measured in foot-candles, divided by the area of the illuminated surface.
LIGHT TRESPASS. Direct light produced by an artificial light source that shines beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is located.
LUMINAIRE. Complete lighting system consisting of a lamp or lamps and a fixture.
UP-LIGHTING. Any light source that distributes illumination above a 90° horizontal plane.
Direct Light
Examples of Full-Cutoff Fixtures
(D) Design standards.
(1) Glare. All luminaires shall be aimed in such a way that direct light will not cause glare toward adjacent properties, public open spaces or parks, or public right-of-way.
(2) Shielding. All luminaires other than those listed below shall be fully-shielded:
(a) Internally lighted freestanding signs; and
(b) Recreational facilities lighting at least 500 feet from any residential use, provided that the Plan Commission has approved a lighting plan for the facility. The plan shall document the effect of lighting on adjacent residential areas. The Plan Commission may require modification of the lighting plan or impose conditions on its approval as necessary to mitigate the impacts of the lighting.
(3) Freestanding signs.
(a) Lighting fixtures used to illuminate a freestanding business sign shall be mounted on the top of the sign structure and directed towards the ground. Freestanding business signs with bottom-mounted lighting shall only be used if the fixtures are pointed directly at the sign.
(b) Freestanding business signs of the type constructed of translucent materials and wholly illuminated from within do not require shielding
(4) Development lighting.
(a) Lighting within a development shall have consistent luminaires in style, design, height, size and color for each lighting type (e.g.; wall mounted security light, pole mounting parking lot light, path light).
(b) Searchlights or aerial laser displays directed into the sky for purposes of advertising are prohibited as specified in § 157.095.
(5) Accent lighting.
(a) Landscape lighting used to illuminate building facades, walls, landscaping, flags, fountains, statues, or other architectural or design items shall be carefully located and aimed so that up-lighting is directed only onto the surface of the item it is intended to illuminate.
(b) Accent lighting used to illuminate building facades, walls, landscaping, flags, fountains, statues, or other architectural or design items shall not create glare for traffic on streets or roads.
(6) Lighting height. Pole-mounted lighting shall be no more than 30 feet in height.
(7) Lighting levels.
(a) Light levels shall be measured with an illuminance meter at eye height on a plane perpendicular to the line of sight.
(b) The level of lighting shall not exceed 50 foot-candles at any point beneath a canopy, pavilion, or drive-through bay.
(c) The level of lighting in parking facilities shall not exceed 2.5 foot-candles.
(8) Light trespass.
(a) The lighting level along any property line shall not exceed 0.5 foot-candles when adjacent to residential zones and 1.0 foot-candles when adjacent to all other zones or right-of-way.
(b) If the ambient light level prior to the development is 0.5 foot-candles or greater at the property line, then the development shall not add more than 0.5 foot-candles of light along any property line.
(Ord. 17, 2006, passed 11-27-2006)