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Outdoor Lighting Standards
ADOPTED by Council on July 9, 2024
• Aims to improve lighting quality, enhance public safety, and minimize light pollution and glare.
REQUIREMENTS
• Applies to new developments, buildings, renovations, and access easements approved by the Planning Commission.
• Excludes principal and accessory uses within Agricultural Rural (A-R), Agricultural Buffer (A-B), and Agricultural Natural (A-N) zones.
• Exemptions for specific lighting types (such as Federal or State-required), special events, compliant signage lighting and incidental lighting not visible from another property.
OUTDOOR LIGHTING STANDARDS
• Lumen - A unit used to measure the actual amount of light that is produced by a bulb. The lumen quantifies the amount of light energy produced by a lamp at the lamp, not by the energy input, which is indicated by the "wattage".
• Kelvin (K) - A unit used to measure the color temperature of light, indicating its warmth or coolness.
• Foot candle – The amount of light falling on a surface measured or calculated. It can be quantified as one lumen per square foot.
• Fixtures must be fully shielded with a maximum height of 25 feet.
• Residential properties limited to 25,000 lumens per net acre.
• Non-residential limited to 100,000 lumens per net acre.
• Light trespass limited to 0.5 horizontal foot candles.
LIGHTING PLANS
• Required with landscape or final development plans.
• Ensure uniform illumination.
• Avoid conflicts with utilities and vegetation.
• Prepared by a licensed architect, landscape architect, or professional engineer before a final development plan certification or building permit issuance.
NON-CONFORMING EXISTING LIGHTING
• All existing outdoor lighting that was legally installed prior to July 9, 2024 and that does not comply with the regulations established by this Article shall be deemed non-conforming and governed by Article 4.
For more information, and to see the whole ordinance, visit: https://www.imaginelexington.com/lightingzota
