Chapter 6.1
Community Health and Safety

• ALL
• Remove Code Barriers
• Create Incentives
• Fill Regulatory Gaps

Lighting for Sidewalks, Buildings, and Crosswalks

INTRODUCTION

Local governments may both limit and mandate certain sources of light in certain locations. Adequate lighting for sidewalks, buildings, and crosswalks encourage people to move about more freely and safely.[1] A primary reason many local governments adopt lighting ordinances is for the safety and security of the community.[2] Local governments can apply a lighting ordinance to almost every zone within their jurisdictions,[3] or can restrict lighting limitations to specific zones, such as residential areas,[4] or streets and walkways.[5] In addition, local governments can choose which physical attributes can or should be lit such as buildings, alleys, trails, or other locations within a zone.

Common strategies local governments employ when enacting lighting requirements are amortization provisions[6] and proactive enforcement schedules.[7] Permit requirements often accompany lighting ordinances.[8] Local governments may require specific lighting for certain locations,[9] as well as prohibit types of lighting for others.[10] For example, some ordinances mandate lights used for security and safety purposes to remain lit through the night.[11]

EFFECTS

Adequately lit neighborhoods can increase community safety, health, and economic wellbeing, as well as combat light pollution. First, consistent lighting promotes safety.[12] Lighted streets may attract pedestrians to the area, the presence of which can decrease crime.[13] Additionally, a Florida study shows that lighted streets have decreased instances of car accidents fatal to pedestrians by 54%.[14] Well-lit communities also create a sense of community pride and confidence.[15] According to a National Highway Administration study, “adequate roadway lighting enhances the safety of all roadway users, while pedestrian-scale lighting improves nighttime security and enhances commercial districts.”[16] In fact, people tend to spend most of their time in public after dark.[17] However, light escape hinders the efficiency of pedestrian lighting at night along streets and sidewalks intended to keep walkers safe.[18]

Walkable communities have stronger economies.[19] Adequate lighting creates a  comforting neighborhood ambiance and encourages nighttime mobility in commercial sectors.[20] Walkable communities have higher property values, resulting in higher property tax revenue for the local government.[21] America’s most walkable metros possess 49% higher GDP per capita than less-walkable metros.[22] Also, intentional lighting can help address the obesity epidemic directly linked to suburban sprawl by encouraging pedestrian mobility.[23]

There are also indications that too much light can be unsafe, such as in instances of light pollution or trespass. Over-illumination can disrupt migratory bird flight patterns and disrupt ecosystems on the ground.[24] Additionally, over-illumination may create glare in the eyes of motorists, nor cast a silhouette on pedestrians which could further obscure them from view on the road.[25]

EXAMPLES

Las Cruces, NM

Las Cruces established street lighting procedures through an ordinance prioritizing high illumination efficiency while still requiring the minimum lighting standards through the Illuminating Engineering Society.[26] The ordinance prohibits outdoor light from shining into residential windows or in the eyes of drivers, pedestrians, or bicyclists. The community may install street lights on arterial and collector streets wherever they feel is necessary for safety and must space them alternating diagonally along the street.[27] Residential street lights must be spaced 250-400 feet apart on average along one side of the road.

Mid-block street lights must be installed around civic facilities, such as churches, parks, and schools.[28] Lights placed on residential cul-de-sac streets are considered mid-block lights. Mid-block street lights cannot interfere with pedestrian ADA accommodations, such as ramps leading into an adjacent building.[29] Renovated streets are required by the ordinance to have taken into account nearby ADA accommodations in their design.[30]

Prior to receiving a construction permit for a new street, an outdoor lighting plan for the street must be presented to the development department for approval. New subdivisions in the area must indicate all streets lights on the master utility plan.[31] At intersections, Las Cruces requires street lights to be positioned behind the sidewalk as close to the center of the curve as possible; however, the lights may deviate from the center of the curve by up to fifteen feet.[32]

To view this provision, see Las Cruces, NM Municipal Code § 32-410 (2012).

DeKalb County, GA

DeKalb County passed an overlay district applying its lighting ordinance to land development, building permits, sign permits, and more.[33] This ordinance is an example of requiring specific light fixture types in certain areas. The code provides an appeal process for developers who disagree with the requirements, referring appeals to the director of planning and sustainability.[34]

Outdoor streetlights must be Holophane tear drop LED lights on fluted cast aluminum at least 75’ apart. Additionally, pedestrian lighting must be Holophane Granville II LED lights on 14’ fluted cast aluminum poles. Parking lot lights must be Gardco CAL form ten round LED lights on smooth cast aluminum poles “to meet spec.”[35] The ordinance recommends foot-candle levels, raising the recommended illumination levels from 1.5 foot-candles to 4 foot-candles for driveways, entrances, and pedestrian paths. Pedestrian lighting is the only style of lighting not mandatorily shielded under the ordinance.[36] Certain fixtures lighting monuments must face down to hinder pedestrian glare. The ordinance goes on to prohibit flashing lights or highly reflective materials from use in their jurisdiction.[37]

To view this provision, see DeKalb County, GA Municipal Code §§ 27-3.39 (2018).

Boulder, CO

Boulder adopted a city ordinance that requires adequate lighting in residential and nonresidential zones for safety and security, but also aims to reduce light pollution and promote energy conservation.[38] The City established an amortization schedule requiring incompatible lighting to be phased out after fifteen years.[39]

The regulation is enforced by requiring a lighting plan to be submitted with any building permit application.[40] Boulder requires a builder to have all lighting installed, operational, and code-compliant before the city inspector will issue a certificate of occupancy.[41] This instruction ensures any obstacles to ordinance fulfillment are fixed before the builder is done at the site[42] (for more on foot-candle and lumen measurements, see How to Measure Light in Foot-Candles, Lumens, and Lux, Standard (last visited Jun. 19, 2019)).[43]

To view this provision, see Boulder, CO Municipal Code § 9-9-16 (2019).

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

Asheville, NC Municipal Code § 7-11-10 (2018) (listing mandatory separation requirements between street lights depending on zone; providing intersections and street curves priority in street light installation and encourages illumination of alleyways).

West Baton Rouge Parish, LA Municipal Code § 104-59 (2014) (requiring lights on both street sides in seventy-five-foot intervals, shielded, facing down).

Farragut, TN Municipal Code Appx. A Ch. 3 § XXVII (2019) (specifying light height, warmth of color, wattage, dark sky compliance. Pedestrian walkways must be highly illuminated).

Ruston, WA Municipal Code § 25.01.103 (2010) (stating that lights need to be used for public safety and security, but not in a fashion that will cause a nuisance to the adjoining property owners).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

How to Measure Light in Foot-Candles, Lumens, and Lux, Standard (last accessed Jun. 19, 2019) (elaborating on how to measure light illumination levels).