VOLT Model Lighting
Ordinance
Section 1: Purpose and Intent
The
purpose of this ordinance is to provide outdoor lighting standards that will
improve safety, minimize glare and light trespass, and conserve energy for
businesses and residents of (County*).
Section 2: Applicability
All
new commercial, industrial and residential outdoor lighting installations shall
meet the requirements of this Code.
Section 3: Outdoor Lighting Standards
3.1
Shielding Standards
a.
All nonexempt outdoor lighting fixtures with an initial output greater than or
equal to 7000 lumens shall be Full Cutoff.
b.
All nonexempt outdoor lighting fixtures with an initial output between 2000 and
7000 lumens shall be Semi-Cutoff, Cutoff, or Full Cutoff.
c.
All outdoor lighting fixtures with initial output less than 2000 lumens are
exempt from the requirements of this Code.
d.
All outdoor lighting fixtures that have Semi-Cutoff, Cutoff, Full Cutoff
restrictions shall be installed and maintained in such a manner as to be
horizontal to the ground so that the cutoff characteristics of the fixture are
maintained.
e.
Beyond the cutoff requirements of Section 3.1 a-d, all light fixtures shall be
located, aimed or shielded so as to minimize light trespass across property
boundaries. Where applicable, all
commercial installations shall utilize house-side shielding to minimize light
trespass on residential properties.
3.2
Maximum maintained illuminance levels
No
outdoor lighting shall be installed to exceed the maximum maintained illuminance
levels as recommended by the IESNA for the designated activity. When no maximum level is defined by
IESNA, no lighting shall be installed to exceed 175% of the minimum maintained
illuminance levels as recommended by the Illuminating Engineering Society of
North America (IESNA) for the designated activity unless otherwise permitted in
this Code.
3.3
Reduced Lighting Levels
Lighting
levels shall be reduced to security levels within 30 minutes after the close of
business or the end of the business activity.
Section 4: Special Uses and Exemptions
4.1
Recreational Sports Facilities Lighting
a.
Shielding. Full Cutoff lighting is strongly recommended. Where Full Cutoff fixtures are not
utilized, acceptable outdoor light fixtures shall include those which:
1.
Are provided with internal and/or external glare control louvers and installed
so as to minimize uplight and offsite light trespass, and;
2.
Are installed and maintained with aiming angles that permit no greater than
five percent (5%) of the light emitted by each fixture to project above the
horizontal.
b.
Off-Site Spill. The installation shall also limit off-site spill (off the
parcel containing the sports facility) to the maximum extent possible
consistent with the illumination constraints of the design. A design goal of
.75 fc at any location on any non-residential property, and .25 fc at any
location on any residential property, as measurable from any orientation of the
measuring device, shall be sought.
4.2
Service Station Canopies
(Optional):
Maximum maintained illuminance levels of 35 foot candles.
4.3
Outdoor Advertising Signs
a.
Internally illuminated signs shall have dark backgrounds with light lettering.
b.
Externally illuminated signs shall be lighted from the top down and lighting
will be directed to minimize glare and light spill to non-sign areas.
c.
Signs using logos or graphics that are legally registered trademarks may apply
for a waiver if compliance with this provision would have a commercial or legal
impact on the business.
4.4
Facade Lighting
The
lighting of building facades is allowed and Cutoff fixtures as defined by the
IESNA are not required so long as shielded and directional fixtures are
used. Fixtures must be installed
and aimed so as to minimize glare, sky glow and light trespass.
4.5
Holiday Lighting
Holiday lighting is exempt from the provisions of this
Code .
4.6
Flag Lighting
The
lighting of flags is allowed and Cutoff fixtures as defined by the IESNA are
not required so long as shielded and directional fixtures are used. Fixtures must be installed and aimed so
as to minimize glare, sky glow and light trespass.
4.7
Emergency Lighting
Emergency
lighting, used by police, firefighting, or medical personnel, or at their
direction, is exempt from all provisions of this code for as long as the
emergency exists.
4.8
Temporary Lighting
Temporary
Lighting, such as that used at construction sites or other uses of a temporary
nature, is exempt from the provisions of this code. However temporary lighting shall be aimed so as to minimize
glare and light trespass to adjacent properties and turned off upon the
completion of the project.
4.9
State Maintained Roadways
Lighting for state maintained roadways is exempt from
the provisions of this Code.
4.10
Waivers
Waivers
may be granted if an applicant can document that meeting specific provisions of
this Code would result in an unsafe condition, impede normal operations or
inflict undue financial hardship.
The applicant shall complete a waiver form and provide a full
explanation as to what provision cannot be met, why they cannot be met and what
alternative is proposed. Waivers
shall be submitted to the lighting administrator and will be decided on a case
by case basis. Waivers will not be denied without justification and the
specific reasons for denial will be provided in writing to the applicant in a
timely manner.
Section 5: Certification
For
installations over 100,000 total initial lumens the applicant must provide a
photometric lighting plan and the installer must certify that the lighting
system design and installation conforms to all applicable provisions of this
Code.
Unless otherwise stated all
illuminance measurements for the purpose of this ordinance shall be made at
ground level with the meter oriented horizontally.
Section 7: Definitions
7.1 Glare: The sensation produced by a bright
source within the visual field that is sufficiently brighter than the level to
which the eyes are adapted to cause annoyance, discomfort, or loss in visual
performance and visibility. The magnitude of glare depends on such factors as
the size, position, brightness of the source, and on the brightness level to
which the eyes are adapted.
7.2 Light
Trespass: Light falling where it is not wanted or needed, typically across
property boundaries. This is the
most common citizen complaint associated with outdoor lighting.
7.3 Uplight:
Light projected above the horizontal.
7.4 Outdoor
Lighting Fixture: The complete lighting assembly, less the support
assembly. Such devices shall
include, but are not limited to lights used for:
a. Parking lot lighting
b. Roadway lighting
c. Buildings and structures
d. Recreational areas
e. Landscape lighting
f. Billboards and other signs (advertising or other)
g. Product display area lighting
h. Building overhangs and open canopies
7.5 Full Cutoff: A Full Cutoff outdoor lighting fixture
emits 0% of its light above 90 degrees and 10% above 80 degrees from
horizontal. A standard IESNA
definition.
7.6 Cutoff:
A Cutoff outdoor lighting fixture emits no more than 2.5% of its light above 90
degrees and 10% above 80 degrees from horizontal. A standard IESNA definition.
7.7 Semi-Cutoff:
A Semi-Cutoff outdoor lighting fixture emits no more than 5% of its light above
90 degrees and 20% above 80 degrees from horizontal. A standard IESNA definition.
7.8 Lumen: Unit
of luminous flux; used to measure the amount of light emitted by lamps.
7.9 Initial
Lumens: Amount of luminous flux emitted by a lighting fixture at initial
installation. Initial Lumens are
usually listed by the manufacturer.
Ex. A 100 watt incandescent light bulb emits approximately 1800 lumens.
7.10 Illuminance: Illuminance is the amount of luminous
flux per unit area in the Imperial system and is equal to one lumen per square
foot. Illuminance is measured in footcandles. The metric system uses the lux. One footcandle equals approximately 0.1 (0.093) lux.
7.11
Maintained Illuminance
Level: Lamps emit less luminous
flux over time and therefore illuminance levels of an installation will
decrease over time. The maintained
illuminance level is usually determined as a percentage of the initial
illuminance level. The percentage is different for the various types of lamp
sources. This number is reported
as a part of the photometric plan.
7.12
Total Initial Lumens:
Derived by summing the individual initial lumens output for all the lighting
fixtures of an installation. For example, six fixtures with 10,000 initial
lumens output per fixture would equal 60,000 total initial lumens.