HomeMy WebLinkAbout04112019 ZPC Agenda Item 6 Amend Appendix A of the City Code of Ordinances by replacing Section 8-107 with the following:
4-11-19
Section 8-107. Outdoor Lighting
(a) Purpose. The purpose of this Section is to enhance the visual environment of the City while also
promoting the safety and continued well-being of the community by:
(1) Preventing the trespass of artificial light onto rights-of-way, residential properties, and
nonresidential properties in ways that constitute a hazard to public safety or interference with
the use,value, and enjoyment of the property;
(2) Conserving energy and resources consistent with the goals of the State Energy Conservation
Office;
(3) Helping to minimize the City's carbon footprint.
(b) In general. Any lighting device installed outdoors (or on the exterior of a structure) must be
designed, constructed and operated so that the bulb or light source (diffused or not) is not visible
from within a door or window of an occupied building on another building site used for residential
purposes. The use of full fixture cut-offs or shields are required.
(c) Applicability. The standards of this Section apply to all outdoor lighting except as provided in
Subsections (d) and (j) below. This includes, but is not limited to, new lighting, replacement lighting,
or any other lighting whether attached to structures, poles, the earth, or any other location,
including lighting installed by any third party.
(d) Certain defenses. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the device in
question is:
(1) a streetlight approved by the City;
(2) an official traffic light or signal;
(3) an emergency light used temporarily(not longer than the emergency conditions involved);
(4) a decorative holiday light used temporarily(not more than 45 days out of any 365-day period);
(5) a security light requested or consented to by the current owner of (or person in control of) the
building (on another building site)that is illuminated;
(6) a light located in a front, side or rear yard (or on a building facing such a yard), if: (i) all the
lights in—or facing—that yard emit, in the aggregate, no more than 4,000 lumens, and (ii) no
individual bulb in—or facing—that yard emits more than 1,000 lumens; or
(7) a device illuminating a sports field.
(e) Light Fixture Type. Light fixtures shall be:
a. "Full Cut-off"fixtures that limit lighting that is visible or measurable at the property line;
b. Of constant intensity;
c. Reflected or shielded so as not to:
i. Be of excessive brightness;
ii. Cause glare hazardous to pedestrians or drivers;
iii. Create any public or private nuisance; or
iv. Unreasonably interfere with an abutting property owner's right to enjoy their
property.
d. "No cut-off" fixtures, used only for decorative purposes, provided:
(i) They have light fixtures that produce no more than 1,000 lumens (approximately equal to
a 75-watt incandescent bulb);
(ii) They have a maximum height of 12 feet.
(f) Maximum Fixture Height.
(1) Freestanding Fixtures. No residential freestanding light fixture shall be greater than 8 feet in
height.
(2) Fixtures Mounted on Residential Buildings and Accessory Structures. Fixtures that are mounted
on residential buildings or accessory structures shall not be located higher than the lowest point
of the roof eave.
(3) Fixtures Mounted on Nonresidential Buildings.
(1) Mounted light fixtures shall not be located above the highest point of the roofline of any
building.
(2) Full cut-off fixtures shall have a maximum height of 25 feet.
(3) No cut-off fixtures:
(4) Shall have a maximum height of 20 feet; and
(5) Are not permitted on any side of a building that faces or abuts a residential property line.
(g) Nonconforming Outdoor Lighting. All existing nonconforming light fixtures and light fixture heights
as of the effective date of this Section shall be removed or altered to comply with the standards
established in this Section by or before December 31, 2023.
Amend Article 2. Definitions and Interpretations by adding the following terms to section 2-102. Certain
terms.
Definitions.
(1) Abutting means two or more lots sharing the same or common property lines. This term does
not include lots separated by a street or alley.
(2) Full Cut-Off means a shielded light fixture that emits no light above a horizontal plane touching
the lowest part of the fixture.
(3) Glare means visual discomfort or impairment caused by a bright source of light in a direction
near one's line of sight.
(4) Lumen means the unit of luminous flux, the total amount of light falling uniformly on or passing
through an area of one square foot, each point of which is one foot from a one-candela source.