AN ORDINANCE TO IMPROVE OUTDOOR LIGHTING IN THE

TOWN OF MONROVIA

Section 1. Title

This ordinance shall be known as the Monrovia Outdoor Lighting Improvement Ordinance.

Section 2. Purpose

The town of Monrovia and surrounding area possesses a rural character and substantially natural nighttime environment, including starry night skies. The town desires to preserve that environment, promote safety, minimize intrusion and nuisance, and promote energy conservation. Accordingly, it is the purpose of this ordinance to establish community standards for the use of outdoor lighting within the town and its buffer zone which enhances vision, minimizes glare and light spillage, promotes energy efficiency, and preserves the starry night time environment of the area, by;

Establishing that light shall not be emitted above horizontal;

That lighting fixtures shall be fully shielded to greatly minimize glare;

That light shall not spill or trespass upon other property or the public right of way, by;

Establishing limits of illumination levels, and by;

Eliminating unnecessary use of outdoor lighting.

Section 3. Definitions

1.) The following definitions are adopted for the purposes of this ordinance;

1.) Acre or net acre -- 43,560 contiguous square feet or total of 43,560 square feet from portions of a parcel dissected by a road or other public right of way.

2.) Axis of illumination, or centerline beam -- the midline of the primary beam of light emitted by a spotlight, floodlight or other fixture.

3.) Constant lighting -- a light fixture meant to operate continually, and not meant to operate only briefly upon activation by a motion sensor or other devise. A motion detector activated light would be a non-constant light.

4.) Fixture -- The bulb and the assembly that holds the bulb (or lamp), in a lighting system, including the elements that provide light output control such as a reflector (mirror) or refractor (lens) and the ballast, photosensor, and housing.

5.) Footcandle -- a measure of illumination striking a surface. Measured by a light meter.

6.) Full-cutoff -- a fixture design that emits no light at an angle higher than horizontal. A cutoff, or semi-cutoff design allows a restricted amount of light emitted above horizontal and a non-cutoff provides no restriction against light emitted above horizontal.

7.) Fully shielded -- a fixture with an opaque housing or attachment thereto which prevents a line of sight to the bulb when viewed from another property and which prevents a line of sight to any part of the light source at or above a horizontal plane running through the lowest portion of the fixture.

8.) Gas discharge lamp -- family of bulb type that produces illumination by passing an electric current through gas. Includes low and high pressure sodium, mercury vapor, metal halide and florescent.

9.) Glare -- the sensation caused by luminance within the visual field, produced by the components of a fixture that are meant to distribute light (the light source,) sufficiently greater than the luminance to which the eyes are adapted to cause annoyance, discomfort, or loss of visual performance or visibility.

10.) HID lighting -- a family of bulb type known as high intensity discharge, including high pressure sodium, mercury vapor, and metal halide.

11.) Horizontal footcandles -- a measure of illumination striking a horizontal surface.

12.) Vertical footcandles -- a measure of illumination striking a vertical surface.

13.) Inventory of lighting -- a list of fixtures relative to a parcel, indicating fixture cutoff design, location, and bulb type, wattage, and bulb manufacturer from which a lumen rating can be determined.

14.) Lamp -- the bulb.

15.) Light source -- source from which light emanates either directly from the bulb, or indirectly from a reflective enclosure, lens, or diffuser.

16.) Light trespass, or spillage -- light projected onto property or onto a right of way from another property.

17.) Lumen -- the unit used to measure the actual amount of light that is produced by a bulb. Provided by the manufacturer. A 60 watt incandescent household bulb is usually 890 lumens. For the purposes of this ordinance, for HID lighting lumens means initial lumens.

18.) Lumen cap -- the specified maximum number of lumens allowed for an application of outdoor lighting.

19.) Luminaire -- the complete lighting unit, including the lamp, fixture, and other parts.

20.) Outdoor light -- a fixture which illuminates an exterior area. Includes lighting at locations such as under canopies, pavilions, or drive-through bays not fully enclosed such that the fixture or the illuminated area is visible from beyond the property line.

21.) Spotlight -- a fixture or bulb which is designed to project light primarily in a narrow directed beam.

22.) Floodlight -- a fixture or bulb which is intended to project light primarily in a broad directed beam, typically 100 degrees wide.

Section 4. Lighting standards

1.) Directional Control

1.) All outdoor fixtures shall be full-cutoff as installed, except as specified otherwise herein.

2.) All outdoor fixtures shall be fully shielded, except as specified otherwise herein.

3.) Provided, a fixture may beam light upward, if all such upward light is reflected back down by a canopy, roof, or other such structure.

2.) Light Trespass

1.) All outdoor fixtures emitting 1000 lumens or more, except motion detector activated lighting and lighting covered under 4-5-2-3, must be fully shielded to an observer at the property line. This can be achieved with fixture location, mounting height, natural or artificial barriers on the fixture owner's property, fixture shielding, and other fixture design features. Generally, luminaires should not be located closer to the property line than a distance equal to three times the fixture's mounting height above grade at the property line.

2.) Light projected onto adjoining property may not exceed .05 (five-one hundredths) horizontal or vertical footcandles, 20 feet inside the property line.

3.) The lighting for a right of way is subject to these restrictions on light trespass 20 feet beyond said right of way.

3.) Low intensity lighting

1.) No shielding is required for a fixture with a bulb rated at 260 lumens or less.

2.) Full shielding is not required for a fixture with a bulb rated at more than 260 lumens and less than 1000 lumens but the bulbs must be installed inside frosted glass or other translucent covers and shielded on top.

3.) The total lumens of bulbs specified in 4-3-1 and 4-3-2, not motion detector activated, shall not exceed 2,000 lumens per a building, or 1000 lumens per exterior entryway, whichever is greater.

4.) All other bulbs used in constant lighting must be installed in fully shielded fixtures.

5.) Non-constant lighting

1.) Full shielding is not required for motion detector activated lighting of less than 1800 lumens, provided the light cycles off within ten minutes after coming on.

2.) Such a light shall not be used to provide constant light, or it will be subject to the provisions of 4-2-1.

3.) The centerline beam of a spotlight or floodlight shall be aimed no higher than 45 degrees below horizontal.

4.) Reasonableness of Intensity

No parcel may use bulbs in such number and size to produce a total output measured in lumens, or initial lumens for HID lighting, that exceeds the specified number of allowed lumens. For parcels smaller than one net acre, lumens allotted on a lumen per acre basis shall not exceed a portion of specified lumens equal to the parcel's portion of an acre. For example, a 3/5 net acre commercial parcel bordering only commercial parcels shall not exceed 30,000 lumens. For the purposes of this section, the area of any building on a non-residential parcel is not included in determining the parcel's square footage, nor is the area of any body of water on any parcel. For the purposes of this section, lumens produced by neon and other similar colored tube lighting is not counted. Lumens produced by downward directed external sign illumination or internal sign illumination do not count unless indicated otherwise.

1.) Commercial bordering commercial

1.) A parcel zoned commercial bordered only by parcels zoned commercial may be illuminated by not more than 50,000 lumens per net acre. Provided, regardless of parcel size the allotment shall be sufficient to provide 3,000 lumens per entryway with motion detector activated lighting counted as 1/2 lumens.

2.) Lumens from fixtures installed under a canopy ten or more feet from all edges of the canopy shall be counted as 1/2 lumens.

2.) Commercial bordering residential

1.) A parcel zoned commercial bordered by a parcel zoned residential or containing a residence may be illuminated by not more than 40,000 lumens per net acre. Provided, regardless of parcel size the allotment shall be sufficient to provide 2,500 lumens per entryway with motion detector activated lighting counted as 1/2 lumens.

2.) Lumens from fixtures installed under a canopy ten or more feet from all edges of the canopy shall be counted as 1/2 lumens.

3.) Residential lighting

1.) Single family dwellings

1.) A parcel zoned single-family residential may not be illuminated by more than 13,000 lumens per acre, of which 3,500 lumens may be a combination of motion detector activated lighting, and lighting from bulbs rated at no more than 1000 lumens, to the limit specified in 4-3-3, per residence. Regardless of parcel size a residence may be illuminated by at least the said 3,500 lumens.

2.) Dual family dwellings

1.) A parcel zoned dual-family dwelling may not be illuminated by more than 6,500 lumens per residence, of which 2,500 lumens may be any combination of motion detector activated lighting and bulbs rated at no more than 1000 lumens.

3.) Multi-family dwelling residential

1.) A parcel zoned multi-family dwelling may not be illuminated by more than 6,000 lumens per residence, including 2,000 lumens per building entryway of any combination of motion detector activated lighting and bulbs rated at no more than 1000 lumens.

4.) Agricultural

1.) For a parcel zoned agricultural, the residence may not be illuminated by more than 13,000 lumens, of which 3,500 lumens may be a combination of motion detector activated lighting, and lighting from bulbs rated at no more than 1000 lumens, to the limit specified in 4-3-3.

2.) Service buildings may be illuminated by an additional 3,000 lumens per entryway, with lumens from motion detector activated lighting counted as 1/2 lumens.

5.) Special Use Lighting

1.) Lighting under canopies, pavilions, or drive-through bays as described in 3-1-19, is subject to the following;

1.) Shielding: All luminaires mounted on or recessed into the lower surface of canopies or structures referred to in 4-5-1 shall be fully shielded and utilize flat glass or plastic covers.

2.) Total Output: The total light output used for illuminating areas under canopies or structures referred to in 4-5-1, defined as the sum of all under-canopy initial bare-lamp outputs in lumens, shall not exceed twenty (20) lumens per square foot of roof area. All lighting mounted under the canopy or roof, including but not limited to luminaires mounted on the lower surface or recessed into the lower surface of the canopy or roof, and any lighting within signage or illuminated panels such as over gas pumps, is to be included toward the total.

3.) The lumen output of lamps mounted on or within the lower surface of a canopy or roof is included toward the lumen maximums in 4-4-1 or 4-4-2, according to the method defined in 4-4-1 or 4-4-2. Other lighting located under a canopy or similar structure but not mounted on the lower surface as indicated in 4-5-1-1 is included toward the any lumen maximum at full output.

4.) Provided, areas under canopies or similar structures may be lighted by upward directed fixtures when such fixtures are fully shielded from a view to the light source from another property, and when all light from said fixtures is directed at the structures' ceiling. Such lumens shall be counted as 1/2 lumens.

2.) Sports lighting is exempt from maximum lumens per acre requirements, but subject to a maximum maintained average illumination of 30 horizontal footcandles of the playing field, verified by a certified engineer hired by the town upon receipt of funds in the amount of the engineer's fee, from the applicant.

1.) Every property owner and resident of adjoining parcels, or parcel any portion of which is within 100 feet of the parcel upon which sports lighting is to be installed, must agree to the installation of sports lighting.

2.) Sports lighting must be full cutoff.

3.) Sports lighting must be fully shielded for an observer at a distance of 100 feet from the property line of the parcel containing the sports lighting and adjoining property.

4.) At a distance of 20 feet inside an adjoining property line light trespass from sports lighting shall not exceed .05 (five-one hundredths) horizontal or vertical footcandles, verified in the manner described in 4-5-2.

3.) No outdoor sporting event, outdoor concert, play, or similar outdoor event shall commence after 10 p.m.

4.) Search lights are prohibited except when used by civil authorities for public safety.

5.) The use of laser lighting for advertising or promotions is prohibited.

6.) Lighting for festivals and carnivals is exempt but should be in keeping with the intent of this ordinance.

7.) Outdoor Christmas lighting is exempt but should be in keeping with the intent of this ordinance.

8.) Emergency lighting is exempt.

9.) Tower lighting not prohibited by another ordinance shall not be permitted unless required by the FAA. Required lighting shall be of the lowest allowed intensity and red unless specifically forbidden under FAA requirements.

10.) Traffic control lighting is exempt.

6.) Signs

1.) Illuminated signs shall only be lighted internally or by fixtures mounted above the sign pointed down. Such fixtures shall be shielded so no glare is visible from the roadway or any other property.

2.) Effective one year after the passage of this ordinance;

1.) Illuminated on-premise signs will be turned off by one hour after the business closes, but if non-conforming due to bottom mounted external lighting, shall be turned off upon the close of business.

2.) Illuminated off-premise signs will be turned off by 10:30 p.m., but if non-conforming due to bottom mounted external lighting, shall be turned off by 9:30 p.m.

3.) No sign lighting may pulse, rotate, blink, flash, or simulate motion, except a display of the time and temperature.

4.) The Plan Commission shall set size limitations for predominately light or white signs at 75 percent of the size allowed for predominately dark colored signs.

7.) Hours of operation

1.) Unless otherwise specified by this ordinance, constant outdoor lighting at any commercial site shall be turned off within one hour after the business closes, except the fixture nearest to a building entryway, if desired for security, effective one year after passage of this ordinance.

8.) Street lighting

1.) New street lighting or replacements of existing street lights shall comply with the requirements of this ordinance that fixtures be full cutoff.

Section 5. Compliance

1.) New lighting

1.) For new site developments or remodeling or renovations of existing sites, a site plan shall be submitted with the application for permit showing the location, height, fixture design, bulb type, manufacturer, and wattage, of any existing or proposed outdoor lighting.

2.) Non-conforming lighting.

1.) Any non-conforming lighting in existence on the effective date of this ordinance shall be exempt, except;

1.) Street lighting shall comply with section 4-8-1, effective upon passage of this ordinance.

2.) any lighting found to be hazardous or a public nuisance by a government office or agency may be ordered abated.

3.) Any light installation which provides for re-aiming of the fixture shall be re-aimed as needed to achieve compliance with this ordinance, within one year of its passage.

4.) Upon the relocation or replacement of any luminaire of more than 1000 lumens, or the repair of any component of any luminaire of 1800 lumens or more, requirements pursuant to this ordinance that such luminaire be made full-cutoff and fully shielded, shall apply.

5.) Upon installation of any new luminaire of 1800 lumens or more, this ordinance shall fully apply to all of the parcel's lighting. For the addition of lighting to an existing development, a permit shall be required and the applicant shall submit an inventory of any existing and proposed lighting showing the location, height, fixture design, bulb type, manufacturer, and wattage, of all such lighting.

3.) Other remedies

1.) Nothing in this ordinance shall prevent relief from a nuisance or other remedies pursuant to other law.

2.) Permit approval shall not preclude pursuit of relief from a nuisance from lighting.

4.) Severability

The provisions of this ordinance are severable, and if any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this ordinance.

5.) Conflicting ordinances repealed

Ordinances or portions of ordinances in conflict with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.

6.) Effective Date

This ordinance is effective upon being duly passed by the town council of the Town of Monrovia.