The purpose of this section is to protect the public health, safety and welfare by regulating the placement, orientation, distribution, and fixture type and size of outdoor lighting. The intent of this section is to encourage lighting that provides safety, utility and security, as well as preventing glare on public roadways, and to prevent light trespass or spillover to adjoining properties.

All outdoor artificial illuminating devices shall be installed in conformance with the provisions of this article, and other applicable provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. Where there is conflict between the provisions of this article and applicable provisions of the Zoning Ordinance, the most restrictive shall govern.

The provisions of this article are not intended to prevent the use of any equipment, material or method of installation not specifically prescribed by this article provided the alternative has been approved by the Zoning Administrator. The Zoning Administrator may approve any such alternative provided that the proposed design provides the approximate equivalence to the specific requirements of this article.

(A)

Outdoor Light Fixtures shall mean outdoor artificial illuminating devices, outdoor fixtures, lamps or other devices, permanent or portable, used for illumination, direction or advertisement. Such devices shall include, but are not limited to search, spot, or flood lights for:

(1)

Buildings and structures, including canopies and overhangs;

(2)

Parking lot lighting;

(3)

Landscape lighting;

(4)

Signs; and

(5)

Display and service areas.

(B)

Installed shall mean the initial installation of outdoor light fixtures defined herein, following the effective date of this article, but shall not apply to those outdoor light fixtures installed prior to such date.

(C)

Shielded, fully shall mean fixtures that are shielded in such a manner that light emitted by the fixture, either directly from the lamp or indirectly from the fixture, is projected below a horizontal plane running through the lowest point on the fixture where light is emitted. This means that a fully shielded fixture is one used in such a way that it allows no direct or internally reflected light to shine above the light fixture or beyond the property line. The terms 'source shield' and 'full cutoffs' shall mean fully shielded.

(D)

Footcandle shall mean a quantitative unit of measure referring to the measurement of illumination incident at a single point. One footcandle is equal to one lumen uniformly distributed over an area of one square foot.

(E)

Full Cutoff Angle shall mean the angle formed by a line drawn from the light source and a line perpendicular to the ground from the light source, beyond which no light is emitted.

(F)

Initial Lumens shall mean the lumens emitted from a lamp, as specified by the manufacturer of the lamp.

(G)

Lamp shall mean the component of a luminaire that produces and directs light. A lamp is also commonly referred to as a bulb.

(H)

Lumen shall mean a standard unit of measurement referring to the amount of light energy emitted by a light source, without regard to the effectiveness of its distribution.

(I)

Luminaire shall mean a complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp or lamps together with the components designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps, and to connect the lamps to the power supply. A luminaire is also commonly referred to as a fixture.

(J)

Outdoor Luminaire shall mean a luminaire that is permanently installed outdoors including, but not limited to, devices used to illuminate any site, structure, or sign.

(K)

Photometric Plan shall mean a point-by-point plan depicting the intensity and location of lighting on the property and spillover on to adjacent properties or rights-of-way.

(Ord. 12-16-15; Ord. No. 24-08, § 1, 3-19-2025)

All outdoor light fixtures except those exempted, or as otherwise specified in Article 15: Sign Regulations of this chapter, shall be fully shielded. A fully shielded fixture must be a full cutoff luminaire or decorative luminaire with full cutoff optics, and is defined as an outdoor lighting that is shielded or constructed so that all light emitted is projected below a horizontal plane running through the lowest part of the fixtures. The light source visibility shall be fully shielded from the adjoining property.

(Ord. 6-16-10)

(A)

Public or Private Recreational Facilities: Lighting for the parking areas for these facilities shall meet the requirements identified in the following Applications section.

(B)

Outdoor Illumination of Building, Landscaping and Signs. The unshielded outdoor illumination of any building or landscaping is prohibited. Lighting fixtures used to illuminate an outdoor sign shall either be mounted on the ground sign or mounted on the top of the sign, and shall comply with shielding requirements.

(C)

All outdoor lighting fixtures shall be turned off after the close of business, unless needed for safety or security, in which case the lighting shall be reduced to the minimum level necessary.

(D)

Gasoline Station/Convenience Store Aprons and Canopies.

(1)

The lighting fixture bulbs shall be recessed into a canopy ceiling so that the bottom of the fixture is flush with the ceiling and light is restrained to no more than eighty-five (85) degrees from vertical.

(2)

As an alternative to recessed ceiling lights, indirect lighting may be used where the light is directed upward and then reflected down from the underside of the canopy. In this case, light fixtures shall be shielded so that direct illumination is focused exclusively on the underside of the canopy and the canopy designed is such a way as to prevent light from being directly reflected beyond the property line.

(3)

Lights shall not be mounted on the top or sides (fascia) of the canopy, and the sides of the canopy shall not be illuminated.

(4)

The lighting for new facilities (pump islands and under canopies) shall have a minimum of 1.0 footcandle at grade, and the average horizontal illumination cannot exceed 20 footcandles at grade level, subject to a uniformity ratio (ratio of average to minimum illuminance) no greater than 4:1. The standards herein are based on the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) RP-33, Lighting for Exterior Environments.

(5)

Spillover light, vertical or horizontal, from parking area luminaires onto public roads and property in residential or agricultural zoning districts shall not exceed one-half (1/2) footcandle at the property line.

(6)

The lighting of roofs or portions thereof is prohibited.

(E)

All Parking Lots, Loading and Display Areas. This lighting requirement applies to multi-family, educational, institutional, public, commercial business and retail, wholesale, and limited and general industrial use categories identified within the Zoning Ordinance.

(1)

Lighting for all parking, display and loading areas shall not exceed an average horizontal illumination level of 5 footcandles. All lighting fixtures serving these areas shall be cut-off fixtures as defined by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA);

(2)

Maximum Mounting Height*

Residential: 15 feet

Non-Residential: 20 feet

* Height is measured from the ground surface to the bottom of the lighting fixture.

(F)

Spillover light, vertical or horizontal, from parking area luminaires onto public roads and property in residential or agricultural zoning districts shall not exceed one-half (1/2) footcandle at the property line.

(G)

The lighting of roofs or portions thereof is prohibited.

(Ord. 12-16-15; Ord. No. 24-08, § 1, 3-19-2025)

(A)

Nonconforming fixtures. Outdoor light fixtures installed prior to the effective date of this article are exempt from the provisions of this article, provided, however, that no change in use, replacement, and structural alteration of outdoor light fixtures shall be made unless it thereafter conforms to the provisions of this article.

(B)

Lighting that is not subject to this chapter by state or federal law.

(C)

Roadway and airport lighting and security lighting controlled and activated by motion sensor devices for a duration of fifteen (15) minutes or less.

(D)

Lighting of any flag as required by law.

(E)

Temporary circus, fair, carnival, or civic uses.

(F)

Special conditions. The Zoning Administrator may grant an exemption to the requirements only upon a written finding that there are conditions warranting the exemption and that there are no conforming fixtures that would suffice.

(G)

Construction and emergency lighting. Lighting necessary for construction or emergencies is exempt from the provisions of this article provided said lighting is temporary and is discontinued immediately upon completion of the construction work or abatement of the emergency necessitating said lighting.

(H)

Lighting associated with agricultural uses and structures, such as a barn or paddock area.

(I)

Single-family and duplex residential buildings.

(A)

Any person submitting a site plan or applying for a building, electrical or sign permit to install outdoor lighting fixtures shall, as a part of said application, submit evidence that the proposed work will comply with this article.

(B)

The lighting plan application shall include at least the following:

(1)

A site plan drawn to scale showing building(s), landscaping, parking areas and proposed exterior lighting fixtures;

(2)

Location of all post, canopy, supports and light fixtures, including the height of each fixture, for any building, structure, parking, display and loading areas;

(3)

Specifications of the illuminating devices, lamps, supports, and other devices, including designation as Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) "cut-off" fixtures. This description may include but is not limited to manufacturers catalog cuts, and drawings including sections where required;

(4)

Locations of all pole-mounted and building-mounted fixtures and a numerical twenty-five foot (25') by twenty-five foot (25') grid of lighting levels, in footcandles, that the fixtures will produce on the ground (photometric report). The photometric report will indicate the minimum and maximum footcandle levels within the lighted area of the site and spillover on adjacent properties and rights-of-way. The minimum (lowest number) is usually at the outer edges of the illuminated area or between two fixtures. The average light level is determined by adding the footcandle value of all the points in the grid and dividing by the total number of points;

(5)

The above required plans and descriptions shall be sufficiently complete to enable the Zoning Administrator to readily determine whether compliance with the requirements of this article will be secured. If such plans and descriptions cannot enable this ready determination, by reason of the nature or configuration of the devices, fixtures or lamps proposed, the applicant shall submit evidence of compliance by certified test reports as performed by a recognized testing lab.

Prior to issuance of a building, electrical, or sign permit, the Zoning Administrator shall determine that the submitted plans and details for said permit are in conformance with this article. The stamping of the plans and the signature of the Zoning Administrator or his designated representative and the date of the signature shall indicate that the plans are in conformance.

Should the applicant desire to substitute outdoor light fixtures or lamps to be installed on private property after a permit has been issued, the applicant shall submit all changes to the Zoning Administrator for approval, with adequate information to assure compliance with this article.

Except for street lighting within the right-of-way and for temporary exemptions, any applicant's appeal of the Zoning Administrator's decision shall be made to the Board of Zoning Appeals, and the procedures of the Zoning Ordinance shall apply.

(A)

Request. Any person may submit a written request on a form prepared by the Zoning Administrator for a temporary exemption to the requirements of this article. The Request for Temporary Exemption shall contain the following information:

(1)

Specific exemptions requested.

(2)

Type and use of exterior light involved.

(3)

Duration of time for requested exemption.

(4)

Type of lamp and total wattage of lamp or lamps.

(5)

Proposed location of exterior light.

(6)

Previous temporary exemptions, if any.

(7)

Physical size of exterior light and type of shielding provided.

The Zoning Administrator may request any additional information that would enable a reasonable evaluation of the Request for Temporary Exemption.

The fee for a temporary exemption shall be established as part of a fee schedule adopted by the Board of Supervisors.

The Zoning Administrator, within thirty (30) days from the date of the properly completed Request for Temporary Exemption, shall approve or reject in writing the Request. If rejected, the individual making the Request shall have the right of appeal to the Planning Commission.