Sign and Billboard Lighting
Does your community have an ordinance prohibiting billboards? According to Edward T. McMahon in an article published in an issue of the Planning Commission Journal, "Over 3,000 cities, towns, and counties prohibit new billboards, as do four states with tourist-oriented economies: Maine, Vermont, Alaska and Hawaii. Places like Houston, Texas, San Diego, California, Little Rock, Arkansas, Fairfax County, Virginia; and Montgomery County, Maryland are just a few examples of larger communities that have banned new billboards." Mr. McMahon recommends to "also consider prohibiting the illumination of billboards in view of any residence, and requiring that any illuminated billboards use downward pointing, shielded, lighting fixtures."
In the same article, Stan Stubbe of the POLC and chairman of the Planning Commision for North Coventry Township, Chester County, in Pennsylvania, provides these comments:
"It is lighting that carries the blight of billboards on into all hours of the night and makes them stand out like sore thumbs in the night sky. It is lightingthat makes billboards dominate the night sky and invade citizen's privacy. It is lighting that makes billboard messages far more visible than during daylight hours.
Today's more powerful light sources exacerbate the problem by punching more light at the message than ever before.
There are ways to alleviate the problem. Require in municipal ordinances that billboard lighting be on time switches and set to be energized for only a reasonable duration during each night, say until 11:00 p.m. After that, few people are up to read the blasted things anyway. Require that the lighting fixtures be placed above the sign and aimed downward rather than at the bottom of the sign aimed upward toward the sky. And finally, require that the lighting fixtures be aimed and controlled so as to place their light output only on the face of the sign and not projected past the sign."
If your community does not or will not ban billboards, you should be sure that it does regulate the lighting used by signs and billboards. Consider adding the following requirement in your local zoning ordinance:
ILLUMINATION OF SIGNS
A. A sign may be illuminated only if the lighting is so screened that it is not directed or reflected toward any adjacent residence, or so it does not obstruct the vision of motorists.
B. Signs which are illuminated in the colors red, green or amber, either by colored bulbs or tubing, or which produce high reflection through the use of special preparations such as fluorescent paint or glass, may not be located within a radius of two hundred (200) feet of a highway traffic light or similar safety device.
C. Lighted signs and billboards, not illuminated from within, shall utilize top mounted shielded light fixtures only.
In addition, lighting for advertising purposes can be controlled by this requirement:
All illumination for advertising signs, buildings and/or surrounding landscapes for decorative, advertising or esthetic purposes is prohibited between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise, except that such lighting situated on the premises of a commercial establishment may remain illuminated while it is actually open for business, and until one hour after closing. Illumination for flagpole lighting may not exceed 10,000 lumens.
For additional information:
Information Sheet No. 35 from IDA on Billboard Lighting (PDF file)
