Dobbins JLUS IMP Public Draft Light Pollution Study | Page 70
(5) Full consideration has been given to the use of public funds for the goals of eliminating glare,
light pollution, and light trespass, reducing energy use, and preserving the natural night
environment.
The Arkansas Shielded Outdoor Lighting Act also placed regulations on outdoor lighted signs, requiring the use and
installation of shielded lighting fixtures and majority of the light be directed to the advertisement. The act also
regulated security lighting for commercial and residential uses in that an electric utility could not provide service or
maintain lighting fixtures that did not meet the output level of less than 1,800 lumens.
Additionally, this Law regulated that only red lights may be used on elevated structures during nighttime hours
unless a waiver is obtained from the Arkansas Aviation and Aerospace Commission or precluded by federal law.
This addresses safety concerns associated with aircraft and aviation operations or activities.
Sources: http://ssl.csg.org/dockets/26cycle/2006C/2006C/2006Cbills/0326c01ar.pdf;
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2013/2013R/Bills/HB1568.pdf
State of Arizona
In the Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 49, Chapter 7 Light Pollution, shielded lighting fixtures or partially shielded
lighting fixtures are required for all outdoor lighting fixtures. Incandescent lights should be 150 watts or less and
other sources should be 70 watts or less. The code exempts street lights from this regulation if shielding is not
available from the manufacturer. Additionally, the code exempts emergency lighting used by police, firefighters,
correctional and medical personnel and lighting that is operational for the duration of the emergency event.
Furthermore, the lighting used in the cases for construction, reconstruction, improvement, or maintenance of
roadway or highway and lighting used in major construction or renovation of municipal buildings or structures
within a city or town are exempt from these regulations.
Sources: http://www.legislativestatemap.org/Colorado.html; http://tornado.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/olls/sl2001/sl_203.htm
State of Connecticut
In 2003, the State of Connecticut enacted House Bill 5686, an act that aimed to reduce light pollution and glare from
private property floodlights located within the state rights-of-way. The law intended to prohibit floodlights to
illuminate private property located near and within state rights-of-way unless the floodlights met certain
requirements. Floodlights are used to light outdoor events during less than optimal visual acuity and night events.
Floodlights have also been used on private property for security and safety purposes. The law defines a floodlight as
a light that emits more than 1,800 lumens and luminaire is also defined as the lamp and the fixture in its entire
assembly. This law establishes standards for such lights and their fixtures. The regulations indicate that any
luminaires are prohibited from being located within state highways and rights-of-way unless the following
regulations are met:
From 2007, the effective date, the State has regulated that non-conforming light fixtures may remain in operation as
long as the lights are shut-off with an automatic timer between the hours of midnight and sunrise. Moreover, the
State prohibited the use of mercury vapor light fixtures after January 1, 2011. Finally, the code states that airport
lighting is exempt from these regulations and towns, cities, and counties may be exempt from these regulations if
they adopt an ordinance that is more stringent than this code.
Arizona, one of the original states to restrict outdoor lighting primarily for protection of observatory dark skies,
requires new lighting fixtures to be fully-shielded with some exemptions; statutes also allow local governments to
“Adopt and enforce standards for shielding and filtration of commercial or public outdoor portable or permanent
light fixtures in proximity to astronomical or meteorological laboratories.” The State statutes also require general
and comprehensive plans to identify zones of potential conflict with military airports and enact regulations to protect
against noise and accident potential, which allows for the restriction of “direct and indirect reflective light
emissions.”
Source: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ArizonaRevisedStatutes.asp?Title=49
State of Colorado
The Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24, Chapter 82, Section 902 requires that state-funded outdoor lighting fixtures
installed after July 1, 2002 must meet several requirements including:
outdoor lighting that emits greater than 3,200 lumens is a full-cutoff luminaire;
minimum illuminance should be adequate for its intended use and consideration should be given to
recognized standards including but not limited to the standards adopted by the Illuminating Engineering
Society of North America;
consideration of costs, energy conservation, glare reduction, minimization of light pollution, and the
preservation of natural night environment; and
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for purposes of lighting a designated highway in the state highway system, the Department of
Transportation determines that the purpose of the outdoor lighting fixture cannot be achieved by the
installation of reflective road markers, lines, warning or informational signs, or other effective methods that
do not require the use of artificial light.
the luminaire is designed to maximize energy conservation and minimize light pollution, glare and light
trespass;
the maintained illuminance levels it produces are equal to the minimum levels recommended by the
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America for the lighting application; and
the luminaire is sufficiently shielded and aimed so that:
o its direct light is not visible at any point on the highway where the viewing height is four feet or more
and the distance from the pole is 70 feet or more, and
o there is no light trespass onto properties adjacent to the one for which the illumination is intended and
its direct light is not visible at a viewing height of five feet or more at any point along the adjacent
property line.
Additionally, the law establishes retroactive compliance for electric company distributors by penalizing the
company for light fixtures that do not meet the requirements after October 1, 2005. The law places a $100 penalty
on any and all fixtures that violate the regulations. The company has a 90-day grace period to correct the violation;
however, after the 90 th day, the company is penalized $100 / day for the violation.
Sources: http://www.legislativestatemap.org/Connecticut.html, http://search.cga.state.ct.us/dtSearch_lpa.html.
State of Maine
In 2009, the State of Maine enacted a law requiring the Executive Department, State Planning Office that a review
of commercial outdoor lighting was to occur in order to establish outdoor lighting standards to minimize light
pollution and encourage the sustainability of the state’s natural environment. The intent of this review was also to
support the identification of policy options for promoting outdoor lighting regulations for commercial development.
The States Planning Office completed the review and findings in mid-January 2010.
As a result of this law, Maine revised its statutes for outdoor lighting. The following regulations can be found in the
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, Part 4, Chapter 153, Subchapter 1-A: Energy Conservation in Buildings Act,
Section 1769. The law defines all the necessary terms to understand outdoor lighting policy and regulations as many
states have defined outdoor lighting policies. The law restricts any person from replacing or installing lighting
fixtures with state funds without meeting the established requirements. The requirements are:
Appendix A:
White Paper – Communities Addressing Light Pollution that Affect Nighttime Military Training