Reference Library

Outdoor Lighting

• HB585 (Chapter 212, Laws of 2009)
  • bill text
  • Plan-link posting (11/23/09) with information about the impacts of the bill and additional sources of information
• "Outdoor Lighting" OEP Technical Bulletin (Spring 2007)
• APA Planners Advisory Service Essential Info Packets
  • Outdoor Lighting (EIP-28) (7.5 MB)
    When you look into the sky at night, can you see the stars? Light pollution is on the rise across the country, resulting in wasted energy, disruption of nocturnal ecosystems, harm to human health, and poor nighttime ambiance. In response, a growing number of communities are adopting outdoor lighting ordinances with "dark sky" principles intended to balance safety issues with the prevention of excessive lighting, light trespass, and glare. This PAS Essential Info Packet provides a look at how communities concerned about light pollution can address outdoor lighting in their policies and regulations. It includes excerpts from comprehensive plans, several model outdoor lighting ordinances with commentaries, and sample outdoor lighting ordinances from municipalities large and small.
• Preserving Dark Skies Model (chapter 3.4), Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques
• "Outdoor Lighting Manual for Vermont Municipalities" Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
• International Dark-Sky Association (lots of great information about outdoor lighting and light pollution)
• The New England Light Pollution Advisory Group
• "Implementation of Decision-Making Tools that Address Light Pollution for Localities Planning Street Lighting" , Sponsor - The Connecticut Light and Power Company, Presented by The Lighting Research Center (LRC) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• "The Up and Down of Outdoor Lighting" , Michele McColgan Ph. D., Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (5.83MB)
• "How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting" , New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
• New Hampshire Electric Cooperative "Dark Skies" program
• Lighting Project Brings Out the Stars in Waterville Valley
• New Hampshire Citizens for Responsible Lighting
• List of towns with Outdoor Lighting Regulations as self-reported by municipalities responding to the annual OEP survey of municipal information.
• Examples of local regulations:
  • Bedford   (In addition, their site plan regulation checklist requires that the applicant submit a "photometric plan" with each site plan submission.)
  • Brookline 
  • Chichester (Revised March 14, 2006) 
  • Conway 
  • Dover Site Plan Review regulations (see Outdoor Lighting in Chapter 149-14-E on page 17)
  • Enfield
  • Goffstown 
  • Jackson Zoning Ordinance [see Section 13, Lighting]
  • Lebanon Site Plan Review regulations [see Section 6.5 (F) - Exterior Lighting on page 25]
  • Londonderry Site Plan Review regulations  [see Section 3.13 on page 27]
  • Nashua 
  • Newbury Zoning Ordinance [see Article 3, Para 4 exterior lighting, and Article 14 signs]
  • Newmarket Comprehensive Lighting Amendment Package (2003) [ordinance, the adoption minutes, the regulations, and Lighting Design Guidelines]
  • Nottingham 
  • Peterborough 
  • Raymond 
  • Rochester (from a 12/5/08 Plan-link posting)
  • Wilton Zoning Ordinance

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