It is in the public interest to provide a quality night time environment. Careless use of outdoor lighting damages the aesthetics of the night time environment. If not regulated, outdoor lighting can decrease security or safety or create hazards through glare, light trespass, and distraction. Inappropriately shielded lights and overlighting can compromise the public's visibility. For instance, service station canopies and convenience store lighting can approach 25 or more footcandles, which is considered to be more than necessary to provide acceptable illumination and avoid liability risks. The naturally dark, star-filled sky is an important part of the natural environment that should not be degraded by improper or inappropriate outdoor lighting. Regulating outdoor lighting brings substantial public benefits. Eliminating glare improves visibility. Elimination of wasted light saves money, energy, and resources.

This division is intended to reduce the problems created by improperly designed and installed outdoor lighting. The regulations of this division are intended to eliminate problems of glare, minimize light trespass with provisions designed to avoid unnecessary direct light from shining onto abutting properties or streets, enhance visibility and safety (especially for the aging eye), protect the natural nighttime sky, conserve energy, and to avoid light encroachment on wildlife habitat.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

Direct light: Light emitted directly from the lamp, off of the reflector or reflector diffuser, or through the refractor or diffuser lens, of a luminaire.

Fixture: The assembly that houses the lamp or lamps and can include all or some of the following parts: a housing, a mounting bracket or pole socket, a lamp holder, a ballast, a reflector or mirror, and/or a refractor or lens.

Footcandle: A unit of illuminance on a surface that is everywhere one foot from a uniform point source of light of one candle and equal to one lumen per square foot. One footcandle (FC) is the equivalent of 10.76 Lux (1 Lux = 0.0929 FC).

Full cutoff luminaire: Outdoor light fixtures shielded or constructed so that no direct light rays are emitted by the installed fixture at angles above the horizontal plane.

Glare: Light emitting from a luminaire with intensity great enough to reduce a viewer's ability to see, and in extreme cases causing momentary blindness, or that causes annoyance or discomfort.

Illuminance: The area density of the luminous flux incident at a point on the surface. It is a measure of light incident on a surface, expressed in lux or footcandles.

Isofootcandle plan: A site plan of a proposed development showing proposed outdoor illuminance with a series of isofootcandle lines that join points on a surface where the illuminance is the same.

Light trespass: The shining of light produced by a luminaire beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is located.

Luminaire: A complete lighting system, including a lamp or lamps and a fixture. This term shall be interpreted broadly as applying to all outdoor electrically powered illuminating devices, outdoor lighting or reflective surfaces, lamps and similar devices, permanently installed or portable, used for illumination or advertisement.

Outdoor lighting: The night-time illumination of an outside area or object by any man-made device located outdoors that produces light by any means.

Safety lighting: Exterior lighting that involves ensuring proper levels of illumination to provide safe working conditions, safe passage, and the identification of outdoor hazards.

Security lighting: Exterior lighting installed solely to enhance the security of people and property.

Wallpack: A wall-mounted luminaire.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

All private outdoor lighting installed in unincorporated Jackson County shall be in conformance with the requirements established by this division.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

The following shall be exempt from the provisions of this division:

(a)

All temporary emergency lighting needed by sheriff, police or fire departments or other emergency services.

(b)

All hazard warning luminaires required by federal regulatory agencies.

(c)

All vehicular luminaires.

(d)

Safety lighting, as defined in this division.

(e)

All outdoor light fixtures producing light directly by the combustion of natural gas or other fossil fuels.

(f)

Holiday lights and decorations using typical unshielded low-wattage incandescent lamps, provided that they are removed within a reasonable period following the holiday season to which they pertain.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

All luminaries not exempted from this division hereafter installed for outdoor lighting shall be full cutoff luminaires, as defined by this division, or another luminaire which does not emit any direct light above a horizontal plane through the lowest direct-light-emitting part of the luminaire.

Security lighting, as defined in this article, unless activated by motion sensor devices, shall also meet this requirement.

Wallpacks, as defined in this division, are not permitted unless fully shielded.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

Any luminaire that is aimed, directed, or focused so that the lamp is visible, or in a way that causes direct light from the luminaire to be directed toward residential buildings on adjacent or nearby land, or that creates glare perceptible to persons operating motor vehicles on public ways, shall be redirected or its light output controlled as necessary to eliminate such conditions.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

Illuminance levels for outdoor lighting fixtures shall comply in design and upon installation with the standards in table 17-1, measured at three feet above the ground or finished grade. Lighting for athletic fields shall be exempt from this section.

Table 17-1
Outdoor Lighting Regulations

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

Strobe lights, and laser lights or searchlight beams projected into the sky, shall be prohibited except as specifically authorized by this division.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)

Submission of a lighting plan is required as part of an application for development permit to ensure compliance with the requirements of this division.

(Ord. No. 17-003, § 1, 10-2-2017)