Dobbins JLUS IMP Public Draft Light Pollution Study

5. Overview of Lighting Regulations Lighting Ordinances To mitigate the influence of future development and to provide a method to curb the negative impact of existing installations on the nighttime environment, lighting ordinances provide a mechanism to establish appropriate and enforceable requirements that benefit the greater good. An effective lighting ordinance must provide mechanisms to curb wasted light, reduce light pollution, restrict glare, and prevent light trespass in an enforceable manner that preserves the night sky. An effective lighting ordinance will achieve this while accommodating community lighting needs based on industry‐ established standards. In addition, it will respond to the local ambient conditions, satisfying expectations while curbing excess light. A lighting ordinance must address each component of light pollution directly. Specific limits should be set on the total amount of light allowed on a specific development or for a specific application to reduce wasted light and minimize reflected light to the maximum extent possible. Light trespass should be limited, either in the form of luminaire‐specific distribution limits or in the form of boundary conditions. Uplight should be eliminated in all but limited applications to mitigate impact on overall sky glow. Glare should be controlled in the form of luminaire‐specific distribution limits and shielding requirements. Correlated color temperature (CCT, which is the whiteness of the light) limits should be set to restrict the blue‐light emissions, which have been shown to have harmful effects on humans and the environment at night and increase perceptions of glare. Finally, requirements for lighting controls, such as curfews or motion‐sensor lighting, should be included to reduce or extinguish lighting when not required. March 2018 In addition to these functional characteristics, the requirements of a lighting ordinance must be enforceable, with guidance for applying requirements, planning and permitting submittal requirements, appropriate exemptions, and field‐verifiable metrics. Because of the need for an enforceable structure, it is typically recommended that a model or pattern lighting ordinance be employed as the fundamental guiding structure. Model or pattern lighting ordinances have been developed through multiple organizations and mechanisms, some developed directly with the technical bodies responsible for developing industry‐standard lighting recommendations. Typically, model or pattern lighting ordinances are developed with input from planners and code officials to ensure that the language is readily adoptable. Most lighting ordinances do not address the public right‐of‐way, including lighting owned and maintained by Departments of Transportation, municipalities and utilities. Lighting within the right‐of‐way is regulated

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