Grey Forest City Zoning Code
§ 17
LIGHTS.
17.01
Lighting Requirements.
1.
Generally.
All public and private outdoor lighting installed after the effective date of this article shall be in conformance with the requirements established by this section.
2.
Control of glare.
Any luminary that is aimed, directed, or focused so as to cause direct light from the luminary to be directed toward residential buildings on adjacent or nearby land, or to create glare perceptible to persons operating motor vehicles on public ways is prohibited. Such luminary must be redirected or its light output controlled as necessary to eliminate such conditions.
3.
Residential and Non-residential lighting.
a.
No trespass lighting may exceed one and one-half footcandles at the property line, with the exception of intermittent lighting.
b.
Intermittent lighting must be of the motion sensor type that stays on for a period of time not to exceed five minutes and has a sensitivity setting that allows the luminary to be activated only when motion is detected on the site.
c.
For lighting horizontal tasks such as roadways, sidewalks, entrances and driveway areas, fixtures must meet “full cutoff” criteria (no light output emitted above 90 degrees at any lateral angle around the fixture).
d.
Spotlighting used for landscape purposes (e.g. trees, statuary, etc.) or for a flagpole bearing a state flag or a flag of the United States, must use full cut-off or directionally shielded lighting fixtures that are aimed and controlled so that the directed light is substantially confined to the object intended to be illuminated.
e.
Floodlight fixtures must be aimed so as to prevent direct radiation of light into the open sky at any angle above the horizontal plane as shown in Figure 1 and verified using a tool such as shown in Figure 2.
 |
Figure 1: Horizontal plane is parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the vertical line. A floodlight may not be so positioned as to direct illumination at or above the 90° angle of the horizontal plane. |
 |
Figure 2: This is a tool for aiming lights such as the floodlight represented in Figure 1. This tool would verify the angle of 20° by placing the upper edge of the tool against the floodlight lens and adjusting the floodlight so that a level parallel to the bottom edge shows level. |
4.
Other prohibited lighting.
Unless authorized by city council for a special event:
a.
The use of laser source light or any similar high intensity light, such as used for outdoor advertising or entertainment, when projected above the horizontal is prohibited; and
b.
The operation of searchlights is prohibited.
17.02
Exemptions.
(a)
The following types of outdoor lighting are exempt from the requirements[:]
1.
All outdoor lighting in place prior to the effective date of this ordinance until maintenance is required as describe below:
a.
Except for lamp replacement, no luminaire should be repaired and/or modified to perpetuate its existence unless the repair and/or modification maintains conformance or makes the luminaire conforming to this article.
b.
If a lamp is available that makes a luminaire conform, or progress towards conformance with this article’s required illuminance level, then such a lamp should be utilized when the lamp is replaced.
2.
Seasonal holiday lighting shall be exempt from the requirements of this ordinance, providing that such lighting does not produce glare on roadways and neighboring residential properties.
3.
Temporary lighting as needed by police, emergency medical technicians, and fire personnel, or for meteorological data gathering purposes[.]
(Ordinance 45B adopted 8/22/17)
