APPENDICES
FRAMEWORK FOR OUTDOOR LIGHTING IMPROVEMENT ORDINANCES
(Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education)
Here are suggestions for the components of a comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinance. All
ordinances should address misdirection of light and glare, excessive brightness of light, and the
indiscriminate all-night usage of light. These are the causes of dangerous and annoying glare, light
trespass, and the unnatural brightening of the night sky.
Excessive brightness can be limited by alternate methods. The simplest method is to limit the
number of lumens allowed in a given area of land, such as an acre. A lumen is a unit of measure of
the intensity of light produced by a lamp (bulb) as indicated by the manufacturer. This method
greatly simplifies compliance determination.
Appropriate lighting levels are also somewhat subjective and different communities may have
different standards. Alternate methods and varying levels of restrictions are provided below and
some will be more appropriate for some communities than others. However, the vision impairment
caused by excess illumination should be given utmost consideration.