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Article 13 — Site Development, Chapter 13-7 — OUTDOOR LIGHTING

Code as publishedas of 2025-12-16

Our copylast checked 2026-10-19 · re-check pending

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§ 13-7-1

Applicability

This chapter applies to existing uses, not just those required to complete design review. All public and private outdoor lighting shall be in conformance with the requirements established by this chapter.

§ 13-7-2

Exemptions

The following are exempt from the provisions of this chapter:

(a)All temporary emergency lighting needed by police or fire departments or other emergency services.

(b)All hazard warning luminaries required by federal regulatory agencies.

(c)Any vehicular luminary.

(d)Safety lighting, as defined in this article.

(e)All outdoor light fixtures producing light directly by the combustion of natural gas or other fossil fuels.

(f)Holiday lights and decorations using typical unshielded low-wattage incandescent lamps, provided they are removed within 15 days following the holiday season to which they pertain.

§ 13-7-3

Full Cut-off Fixtures Required

All luminaries not exempted from this chapter hereafter installed for parking lots, buildings, and grounds shall be full cutoff luminaries, as defined by this ULDC, or another luminary which does not emit any direct light above a horizontal plane through the lowest direct-light-emitting part of the luminary, unless otherwise part of a lighting plan approved by the Community and Economic Development Director.

(a)Security lighting, as defined in this ULDC, shall meet this requirement unless activated by motion sensor devices.

Figure 13-1: Example Full Cutoff Fixtures

(b)Wallpacks are not permitted unless fully shielded.

Figure 13-3: Shielded Wallpacks, Permitted

Figure 13-4: Unshielded Wallpacks, Prohibited

(c)Glare. Any luminary that is aimed, directed, or focused so that the lamp is visible, or in a way that causes direct light from the luminary to be directed toward residential buildings on adjacent or nearby land, or that creates glare perceptible to persons operating motor vehicles on public ways, shall be redirected or its light output controlled as necessary to eliminate such conditions.

(d)Intensity specifications. Illuminance levels for outdoor lighting fixtures serving parking lots, buildings and grounds shall comply in design and upon installation with the standards in Table 13-17, measured three feet above the ground or finished grade.

Lighting for athletic fields and tennis courts shall be exempt from this section. In addition, the Director may also exempt or modify the requirements of this paragraph as a part of an approved lighting plan.

Table 13-17: Outdoor Lighting Regulations

At Property Lines (Including Rights-of-Way)	Minimum Footcandles				Maximum Footcandles
At property line abutting a residential use	None				0.5
At property line abutting an office or institutional use	None				1.0
At property line abutting a commercial or light industrial use	None				1.5
Off-Street Parking Lots		Minimum		Average			Maximum
		Footcandles		Footcandles			Footcandles
Residential areas	0.5		2.0			4.0
Office-institutional areas	1.0		3.0			6.0
Commercial areas	2.0		6.0			12.0
Light industrial areas	1.0		4.0			8.0

(e)Prohibitions. The following types of outdoor lighting are prohibited:

(1)Strobe lights, except as may be required for towers pursuant to Section 9-6-3(f), or other state or federal lighting requirements.

(2)Laser lights or searchlight beams projected into the sky.

(3)Neon-lit signs, neon outdoor lights, and neon or any other lighting outlining of windows or doors.

(f)Lighting plans. When a lighting plan is required for a specific use, as specified in Article 9, or, when a lighting plan is submitted as an alternative to compliance with the full cut-off fixture requirements or intensity specifications of this chapter, the lighting plan shall be submitted with the application required for the issuance of a land development permit as specified in Chapter 11-6.

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