03/06
PENNSYLVANIA OUTDOOR
LIGHTING COUNCIL
STAND-ALONE MODEL LIGHTING
ORDINANCE
An Ordinance establishing
regulations, specifications and restrictions for the use and/or installation of outdoor lighting in the
Municipality.
This Ordinance shall be known
as, and may be cited as the “Outdoor Lighting Ordinance”.
SECTION 3. PURPOSE
To require and set minimum
standards for outdoor lighting to:
A.
Provide for and control
lighting in outdoor public places where public health, safety and welfare are
potential concerns.
B.
Protect drivers and pedestrians
from the disabling glare of non-vehicular light sources.
C.
Protect neighbors and the night
sky from nuisance glare and light trespass from improperly selected or poorly
aimed, placed, applied, maintained or shielded light sources.
D.
Promote energy efficient
lighting design and operation
E.
Protect and retain the intended
character of the various portions of the Municipality
SECTION 4. APPLICABILITY
A.
Uses that are proposed to
operate during hours of darkness where there is public assembly and traverse,
including but not limited to the following: residential, multi-family
residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, public recreational/sports,
and sign, architectural and landscape lighting.
B.
The Municipality may, in its sole discretion, require the
illumination of residential subdivisions in accordance with Section 6.G below.
C.
The Municipality may, in its sole discretion, require lighting to
be incorporated for other uses or locations or may restrict lighting in any of
the above uses, as deemed necessary.
SECTION 5. DEFINITIONS
A.
Cutoff – A lighting fixture from which no more than 2.5% of
its lamp’s intensity is emitted at or above a horizontal plane drawn through the
bottom of the fixture and no more than 10% of its lamp’s intensity is emitted
between 80º and that horizontal plane.
B.
Footcandle – A unit of incident light stated in lumens per
square foot and measurable with an illuminance meter, a.k.a. footcandle or light
meter.
C.
Full Cutoff – A lighting fixture from which none of its lamp’s
intensity is emitted at or above a horizontal plane drawn through the bottom of
the fixture and no more than 10% of the lamp’s intensity is emitted between 80º
and that horizontal plane.
D.
Fully Shielded – A lighting
fixture, from which, in the installed position, none of its light output,
either directly from the lamp or a diffusing element, or indirectly by
reflection or refraction from any part of the fixture (excepting only incidental
reflections from supporting brackets or arms), is projected above the
horizontal plane through the fixture’s lowest light-emitting part, as
determined by photometric test or certified by the manufacturer. Any structural part of the fixture providing
this shielding shall be permanently affixed.
E.
Glare – The sensation produced by lighting that causes an
annoyance, discomfort or loss in visual performance and visibility to the eye.
F.
Illuminance – The quantity of incident light measured in
footcandles.
G.
Light Trespass – Light emitted by a lighting installation, which
extends beyond the boundaries of the property on which the installation is
sited.
H.
Lumen – The light-output rating of a lamp (light bulb), as
used in the context of this Ordinance.
I.
Luminaire – A complete lighting unit
A.
1.
Lighting, where required by
this Ordinance or otherwise required by the Board of Supervisors, shall have
intensities and uniformity ratios in accordance with the current recommended
practices of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) as
contained in the IESNA Lighting Handbook and relevant IESNA Recommended
Practices or as otherwise specified herein.
2.
Future amendments to said
Lighting Handbook and Recommended Practices shall become a part of this
Ordinance without further action by the Municipality.
B. Lighting Fixture Design
1.
Fixtures shall be of a type and
design appropriate to the lighting application and aesthetically acceptable to
the Municipality. Street lighting
supplied with unmetered electric service shall meet the specifications of the
electric utility.
2.
For the lighting of predominantly horizontal surfaces such as, but
not limited to, roadways, areas of vehicular and pedestrian passage,
merchandising and storage areas, automotive-fuel dispensing facilities,
automotive sales areas, loading docks, cul-de-sacs, active and passive
recreational areas, building entrances, sidewalks, paths, site entrances and
parking areas, fixtures shall be aimed straight down and shall be full cutoff
or fully shielded, unless the aggregate wattage per-fixture does not exceed the
output of a standard non-directional 40-watt incandescent lamp, i.e., 500
lumens, in which case non-cutoff fixtures shall be permitted.
3.
For the lighting of non-horizontal surfaces such as, but not
limited to, facades, landscaping, signs, fountains, displays, flags and
statuary, the use of lighting fixtures that are not full cutoff or fully
shielded, shall be permitted only with the approval of the Board of
Supervisors, based upon acceptable shielding and other glare control (approval
shall not be required if the aggregate wattage per fixture does not exceed the
output of a standard non-directional 40-watt incandescent lamp, i.e., 500
lumens).
4.
“Barn lights,” aka “dusk-to-dawn lights,” shall not be permitted
where they are visible from other uses unless fitted with a reflector or other
device to render them fully shielded or full cutoff.
C.
1.
All lighting shall be aimed,
located, designed, fitted and maintained so as not to present a hazard to
drivers or pedestrians by impairing their ability to safely traverse and so as
not to create a nuisance by projecting or reflecting objectionable light onto a
neighboring use or property.
2.
Floodlights and spotlights that
are not full-cutoff or fully shielded, where specifically approved by the
Municipality, shall be so installed and aimed that they do not project their
output into the windows of neighboring residences, adjacent uses, past the
object being illuminated, skyward or onto a public roadway.
3.
Unless otherwise permitted by
the Municipality, e.g., for safety or security or all-night
commercial/industrial operations, lighting for commercial, industrial, public
recreational and institutional applications shall be controlled by programmable
timers that accommodate seasonal and annual variations and battery or
mechanical (e.g., spring-wound) backup, to permit extinguishing sources between
11 p.m. and dawn or within 1 hour of the close of business, which ever is
earlier, to conserve energy and to mitigate nuisance glare and sky-lighting
consequences.
4.
Security lighting proposed for
use after 11 p.m. or after the normal hours of operation for commercial,
industrial, institutional or municipal applications, shall be accomplished
using no more than 25% of the number of fixtures used during normal business
hours, from then until the start of business in the morning. Alternatively, where reduced but continued
activity requires even illumination, the use of dimming circuitry to reduce
illumination levels by 50% after 11:00 p.m. or after normal business hours,
shall be permitted.
5.
Vegetation screens shall not be
employed to serve as the primary means for controlling glare. Rather, glare control shall be achieved
primarily through the use of such means as cutoff fixtures, shields and
baffles, and appropriate application of fixture mounting height, wattage,
aiming angle and fixture placement.
6.
The level of illumination
projected onto a residential use from another property shall not exceed 0.1
initial vertical footcandle, measured line-of -sight at the property line. The level of illumination projected onto a
non-residential use shall not exceed 1.0 initial vertical footcandle measured
line of sight at the property line.
7.
Directional fixtures for such
applications as façade, fountain, feature and landscape illumination shall be
aimed so as not to project their output beyond the objects intended to be
illuminated, shall be extinguished between the hours of 11 p.m. and dawn and
shall not be in conflict with the Municipality’s aim to maintain its intended
character.
8.
Only the United States and the
state flag shall be permitted to be illuminated from dusk till dawn and each
flag shall be illuminated by a source or sources with a beam spread no greater
than necessary to illuminate the flag.
Flag lighting sources shall not exceed 7,000 lumens per flagpole.
9.
The use of white strobe
lighting for tall structures such as smokestacks, chimneys and
radio/communications/television towers is prohibited during hours of darkness,
except as specifically required by FAA.
10.
Canopy lighting, for such
applications as gas/service stations, bank, drugstore and fast-food drive-thru,
shall be accomplished using flat-lens full-cutoff fixtures aimed straight down
and shielded in such a manner that the lowest opaque edge of the fixture shall
be level with or below the light source.
11.
Temporary residential holiday
lighting is exempt from the requirements of this Section except as it creates a
hazard or nuisance.
D.
Agricultural Use Criteria
1. For agricultural uses, the following criteria shall
apply:
a.
No lighting shall be permitted
that shines directly onto an adjacent residence.
b.
No lighting shall be permitted
that creates a hazard by shining onto a public right-of-way.
c.
Floodlights and other
directional fixtures visible from an adjacent residential use shall be extinguished
by no later than 11 p.m. or controlled by a motion sensor.
E.
Recreational Uses
1.
When facilities for such
outdoor recreational activities as baseball, tennis, football, miniature golf
or any other recreational use permitted under the Municipality’s Municipality
Zoning Ordinance, are specifically permitted by the Municipality for operation
during hours of darkness, the following requirements shall apply:
a.
Lighting shall be accomplished
only through the use of fixtures conforming to IESNA full-cutoff criteria, or
as otherwise approved by the Municipality based on suitable control of glare
and light trespass.
b.
For new recreational facilities
and recreational facilities wishing to change their hours of operation during
hours of darkness, sporting events shall be timed so that all lighting in the
sports facility, other than lighting for safe exit of patrons, shall be
extinguished by 11:00 p.m., regardless of such occurrences as extra innings or
overtimes.
c.
Trap shooting facilities, golf
driving ranges and race tracks shall not be illuminated unless it can be
demonstrated that such lighting will not create a nuisance, shine on or into
any nearby residential properties or be visible to traffic on any nearby
streets, roadways, or institutional or commercial parking lots. In any case, if
lighting is permitted at these facilities, it shall not be accomplished by
using any horizontally aimed fixtures or floodlights nor shall these fixtures
be aimed at an angle greater than 45 degrees from vertical.
d.
The outdoor recreational
activities listed below shall not be illuminated if located within any
residential district or sited on a nonresidential property located within 1200
feet of a residential use.
e.
Maximum mounting heights for
recreational lighting shall be in accordance with the following:
i.
Basketball 20’
ii.
Football 70’
iii.
Soccer 70’
iv.
Baseball 70’
v.
Little League Baseball
1)
200’ Radius 60’
2)
300’ Radius 70’
vi.
Miniature Gof 20’
vii.
Tennis 20’
viii.
Track 20’
F.
Street and Parking Lot Lighting
for Residential Applications
1.
For residential developments
where lot sizes are or average less than 20,000 square feet, street lighting
shall be provided as follows:
a.
At the intersection of public
roads with entrance roads to the development
b.
At the intersection of roads
within the development
c.
At cul-de-sac bulb radii
d.
At terminal ends of center
median islands having concrete structure curbing, trees, signs or other fixed
objects, and at cul-de-sac center islands with curbing
e.
At defined pedestrian crossings
located within the development
f.
At other locations along the
street as deemed necessary by the Board of Supervisors but in no case shall
lighting fixtures be spaced more than five hundred (500) feet apart.
g.
Where lot sizes permit the
parking of less than two (2) vehicles on the lot, thereby necessitating
on-street parking, street lighting shall be provided along the length of the
street, in accordance with the illuminance requirements contained in Section
6.A.3.(a) above.
h.
In multi-family developments,
common parking areas shall be illuminated in accordance with the illuminance
requirements contained in Section 6.A.3.(b) above.
2.
In residential developments
with lots of less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet, where six (6) or
more contiguous parking spaces are proposed, such spaces shall be illuminated
in accordance with the illuminance requirements contained in Section 6.A.3.(b)
above.
G.
Signs and Billboards
1.
For the lighting of billboards
and externally illuminated signs, fixtures shall be designed, fitted and aimed
to limit the light pattern to the sign or billboard, so as not to project their
output into the windows of neighboring residences, adjacent uses, past the face
of the billboard or sign, skyward or onto a public roadway.
2.
Billboards and externally
illuminated signs shall be lighted by fixtures mounted at the top of the
billboard or sign and aimed downward.
3.
Billboards and signs, whether
on or off premises, shall be automatically extinguished by 11:00 p.m. except
that signs for businesses that remain open past 11:00 p.m. shall be allowed to
be automatically extinguished no more than ½ hour past the close of business.
4.
The maximum initial
illumination on the face of an externally illuminated billboard or sign shall
not exceed 30 vertical footcandles and shall have a maximum to minimum
uniformity ratio not to exceed 6:1.
5.
The illumination of billboards
shall be limited to commercial and industrial zoning districts.
6.
The illumination of billboards
within 400’ of a residential zone or use shall not be permitted.
7.
Rotating, flashing, pulsing,
“marching” or oscillating light sources, lasers, beacons or strobe lighting
shall not be permitted.
8.
LED light sources for signage
shall be permitted only in commercial districts, shall be static and shall not
be allowed to operate past 11:00 p.m. when located where visible from a
residential district or use.
9.
The use of highly reflective
signage that creates nuisance glare or a safety hazard shall not be permitted.
10.
The lighting or relighting of
signs or billboards shall require a Building Permit, which shall be granted
only when the Municipality is satisfied that excessive illumination, light
pollution, glare and light trespass have been mitigated to the extent possible.
11.
Applications for the lighting
or relighting of signs and billboards shall be accompanied by a point-by-point
plot of initial vertical illuminance on the sign or billboard face, catalog
cuts of proposed fixtures and any glare reduction devices and a description of
lamps, mounting locations, aiming angles and proposed hours of operation and
method for automatically extinguishing the lighting by the required hour.
H.
Installation
1.
Electrical feeds for
pole-mounted fixtures shall be run underground, not overhead.
2.
Poles supporting lighting
fixtures for the illumination of parking areas and located directly behind
parking spaces or where they could be hit by snow plows, shall be placed a
minimum of five (5) feet outside paved area or tire stops, or on concrete pedestals
at least thirty (30) inches high above the pavement, or suitably protected by
bollards or other approved means.
3.
Pole-mounted fixtures shall be
aimed straight down.
4.
Mounting Heights - The
following maximum fixture mounting heights shall prevail:
a.
Full-cutoff fixtures with
400-watt lamps maximum, in parking lots:
20’ AFG
b.
Full-cutoff fixtures with
1000-watt lamps maximum, shall be permitted only in large (100 spaces or more)
commercial, institutional and industrial parking lots except when the facility
as adjacent to a residential district or use or an environmentally sensitive
area: not less that 25’ or more than 30’ AFG.
Mounting heights of 25’ – 30’ shall not be permitted when located less
than 100’ from a residential district or use.
c.
Decorative –cutoff or fully
shielded fixtures with 175-watt lamps maximum, 16’ AFG
d.
Fully-shielded bollard fixtures
with 100-watt lamps maximum, 42” AFG
e.
Recreational Uses – See Section
6.E.
5.
Electrical installation of
street lighting shall be in accordance with prevailing regulations and
specifications established by the serving electric utility. It shall be the responsibility of the
installing contractor or his agent to have final construction inspected by an
electrical inspection agency and a written report attesting to this fact
submitted to the utility, thereby allowing the utility to provide pole
illumination.
6.
Pole foundations shall be
designed by a structural or civil engineer taking into account luminaire
projected areas, wind loading and local soil conditions.
I.
Post-Installation Inspection
1.
The Municipality reserves the
right to conduct post-installation nighttime inspections to verify compliance
with the requirements of this Ordinance and approved plans, and if appropriate,
to require remedial action at no expense to the Municipality.
SECTION 7. PLAN SUBMISSION
A. For subdivision and land-development applications
where site lighting is required by this Ordinance or the Municipality, or
proposed, lighting plans shall be submitted to the Municipality for review and approval
with any preliminary or final subdivision/land development plan application and
with any conditional use application.
The Municipality may also require that lighting plans be submitted for
Building Permit applications, Special Exception applications and zoning
hearings. Lighting plans shall include:
1.
A site plan, complete with all
structures, parking spaces, building entrances, traffic areas (both vehicular
and pedestrian), vegetation that might interfere with lighting, and adjacent
uses that might be adversely impacted by the lighting, containing a layout of
all proposed fixtures by location, mounting height and type. The submission shall include, in addition to
area lighting, exterior architectural, building-entrance, landscape lighting,
etc.
2.
A point-by-point
illuminance-grid plot on 10’ x 10’ centers (or as necessary for suitable
legibility) of footcandles overlaid on the site plan, plotted out to 0.0
maintained footcandles, which demonstrate compliance with the light trespass,
illuminance and uniformity requirements as set forth in this Ordinance or as
otherwise required by the Municipality.
3.
The lamp lumen ratings and
types, maintenance (light-loss) factors and IES file names used in calculating
the illuminance levels.
4.
Description of the proposed
equipment, including fixture catalog cuts, photometrics, glare reduction
devices, lamps, on/off control devices, mounting heights, pole wind-loading
conformance, foundation pole details and mounting methods.
5.
Landscaping plans shall contain
lighting fixture locations and shall demonstrate that the site lighting and
landscaping have been coordinated to minimize conflict between vegetation and
intended light distribution, both initially and at vegetation maturity.
B.
C. Plan Notes – The following notes shall appear on the
lighting plan:
1.
Post-approval
alterations to lighting plans or intended substitutions for approved lighting
equipment shall be submitted to the Municipality for review and approval.
2.
The Municipality reserves the
right to conduct post-installation nighttime inspections to verify compliance
with the requirements of this Ordinance and as otherwise agreed upon by the
Municipality, and if appropriate, to require remedial action at no expense to
the Municipality.
3.
Installer shall notify Zoning
Officer to arrange for inspection and approval of all exterior lighting
equipment, including building-mounted lighting, prior to its installation.
A.
Safety Hazards
1. If appropriate officers or agents of the Municipality
judge a lighting installation, including lighting poles, creates a safety or
personal-security hazard, the person(s) responsible for the lighting shall be
notified in writing and required to take remedial action.
2. If appropriate corrective action has not been effected
within ninety- (90) days of written notification, the Municipality may commence
legal action as provided in Section 10 & 11 below.
B.
Nuisance Glare and Inadequate
Illumination Levels
1. When appropriate officers or agents of the
Municipality judge an installation produces unacceptable levels of nuisance
glare, skyward light, excessive or insufficient illumination levels or
otherwise varies from this Ordinance, Municipality may cause written
notification of the person(s) responsible for the lighting and require appropriate
remedial action.
2. If appropriate corrective action has not been effected
within ninety- (90) days of notification, the Municipality may commence legal
action as provided in Section 10 & 11 below. .
A.
Any lighting fixture or
lighting installation legally installed and operative before the date of
adoption of this Ordinance shall be considered as a lawful nonconformance
subject to the following:
1. Non conforming lighting shall not be changed to any
other non-conforming lighting, structurally altered, altered an any way that
increases its degree of nonconformance, or expanded or extended in scope,
2. Unless minor corrective action, such as reaiming or
shielding, is deemed by the Municipality to be an acceptable alternative, a
nonconforming lighting fixture or lighting installation shall be made to
conform with the applicable requirements of this Ordinance when:
a. It is deemed by the Municipality to create a safety
hazard
b. A fixture is added or replaced with another fixture or
fixtures, abandoned or relocated
c. There is a change in use
3.
Regardless of the requirements
of Section 9.A.1.above, nonconforming lighting fixtures and lighting
installations shall be made to conform with the requirements of this Ordinance
or removed within two (2) years from the effective date of this Ordinance.
A.
Any person who violates or
permits a violation of this Ordinance shall, upon being found liable therefore
in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Municipality before a
District Justice, pay a fine of not more than $500, plus all court costs
including reasonable attorney’s fees, incurred by the Municipality in the enforcement
of this Ordinance. No judgment shall
commence or be imposed, levied or payable until the date of the determination
of the violation by the District Justice.
If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the
Municipality may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable Rules of Civil
Procedure. Each day a violation exists
shall constitute a separate offense.
B.
The appropriate officers or
agents of the Municipality are hereby authorized to seek legal and/or equitable
relief, including injunction, to enforce compliance with this Ordinance.
SECTION 11. ABATEMENT OF NUISANCES
A. In addition to any other remedies provided in this
Ordinance, any violation of Section 6 hereof, Control of Nuisance and Disabling
Glare, shall constitute a nuisance and shall be abated by the Municipality by
either seeking mitigation of nuisance or appropriate equitable or legal relief
from a court of competent jurisdiction.