The community wishes to enhance the visual environment of the nighttime sky, protect the public health, safety, and welfare, provide safe roadway conditions for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, and promote energy efficient, cost-effective lighting while minimizing light pollution, intrusion, and trespass from uncontrolled light sources. It is the intent of this section to minimize the intrusion of lighting across property lines and into the nighttime sky, thereby avoiding a disruption to the quality of life of residents.

These regulations shall be applicable to all outdoor lighting sources which: (1) Are newly designed, constructed, erected, or placed into operation after the effective date of this section; and (2) Require the relocation or replacement of existing lighting fixtures commenced after the effective date of this section.

Exceptions to this section shall include the following:

A.

All outdoor light fixtures permitted prior to the adoption of these regulations shall be exempt from the shielding requirements of this section, except that when an outdoor light fixture becomes inoperable, the replacement light fixture shall comply with the standards of this section.

B.

All hazard warning lighting required by federal and state regulatory agencies.

C.

All temporary emergency lighting required by local law enforcement, emergency service and utility department(s).

D.

All traffic control and directional lighting.

E.

All underwater lighting used for the illumination of swimming pools and water features shall be exempt from the lamp type and shielding standards of this section.

F.

All lighting for temporary festivals and carnivals

The following shall be prohibited:

A.

The installation, sale, lease, or purchase of any mercury vapor lamp.

B.

The use of laser source light or other similar high intensity light for outdoor advertising, except when otherwise permitted in conjunction with an electronic sign, when projected above the horizontal.

C.

The operation of searchlights and floodlights for advertising purposes.

D.

The use of any lighting source on towers shall be prohibited except as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

E.

The illumination of off-site advertising signs.

A.

The following standards shall apply:

B.

All light fixtures, with the exception of internally illuminated signs or electronic signage, shall be fully shielded and direct light downward toward the earth's surface.

C.

All lighting sources shall be directed away from reflective surfaces to minimize glare upon adjacent lots and rights-of-way.

D.

All lighting sources, with the exception of internally illuminated signage or electronic signage, shall be positioned in such a manner as to direct light away from adjacent lots and rights-of- way.

E.

Light pole height shall not exceed twenty-five (25) feet. All light fixtures in parking areas shall be designed and located to confine emitted light to the parking area.

F.

All light fixtures shall meet county building code requirements for their appropriate construction class.

A.

The following shall apply to all multi-family, business, and manufacturing uses:

B.

All light fixtures, with the exception of internally illuminated signage or electronic signage, shall be positioned in such a manner so that no light-emitting surface is visible from a residential lot right-of-way when viewed at ground level.

C.

Light meter readings shall not exceed: (i) one-half (0.5) foot-candles at a single-family or multi-family residential lot line; or (ii) one (1.0) foot-candle at all other lot lines. [It should be understood that, with all of these measurements, light will still be visible at or beyond lot lines.]

D.

All lights on poles, stands, or mounted on a building shall have a shield, adjustable reflector, and non-protruding diffuser.

E.

All canopy structures shall have lights with diffusers which are recessed, and which do not extend below the surface of the canopy as measured on a plane parallel to the earth's surface.

F.

Lighting under awnings and canopies shall only illuminate a front building façade, a sign under an awning or canopy as measured on a plane parallel to the earth's surface.

G.

All parking area lighting for nonresidential uses shall be reduced (e.g., turned off or dimmed) by a minimum of thirty percent (30%) within thirty (30) minutes of closing of the last business or no later than 11:00 p.m.

H.

No outdoor sports or recreational facilities shall be illuminated after 11:00 p.m., except to conclude a scheduled recreational or sporting event in progress prior to 11:00 p.m.

I.

The parking areas and service facility areas for multi-family residential uses shall have sufficient lighting facilities, which shall be located and adjusted so that the glare or beam is directed away from any adjoining property, street or multi-family dwelling window.

A.

Light fixtures used to illuminate an outdoor advertising sign, other than a monument sign or an internally illuminated sign, shall be mounted on top of or above the sign structure and shall comply with the shielding requirements of this section.

B.

Light fixtures used to illuminate ground-mounted, or monument signs may be illuminated with a ground-mounted or bottom-mounted light fixture, provided that the light fixture is fully shielded, and all light output is directed onto the sign surface.

C.

Lamps utilized for the internal illumination of wall signs shall be turned off at 11:00 p.m. or when business closes.

The applicant for any permit required by this ordinance that proposes outdoor lighting shall submit a lighting plan which includes:

A.

A site plan indicating the location of all lighting structures, supports and light fixtures, including those light fixtures which presently exist on site and those which are proposed for the site.

B.

A graphic and/or textual description of all lighting fixtures, both proposed and existing on-site. The description may include but is not limited to cut sheets and illustrations by the manufacture, lamp types, wattages, and lumen outputs.

C.

A site plan with illuminance levels superimposed on the site plan in the form of an iso foot-candle diagram or point-by-point grid diagram.

D.

All plot lighting levels shall be depicted at ten-foot intervals or less.

E.

The iso foot-candle diagram shall plot foot-candle increments of one-half (0.5) foot-candle or less.

F.

Photometric data depicting the angle of cut off of light emissions.