[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pittsford 10-14-2008 by L.L. No. 9-2008.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Signs —  See Ch. 168.
Zoning — See Ch. 210.
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law superseded former Ch. 117, Lighting, Exterior, adopted 5-1-1999 by L.L. No. 6-1999, as amended.
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the public safety and welfare, to protect the historic character and scenic beauty of the Village, to increase property values and improve the quality of life within the Village, and to reduce the problems created by improperly designed and installed exterior lighting. This chapter is intended to eliminate problems of glare and minimize unnecessary light trespass onto abutting properties or streets, to protect residences from the negative impacts of neighboring commercial uses, to help reduce the energy costs of exterior lighting, and to reduce sky glow.
This chapter shall hereafter be known and cited as the "Exterior Lighting Law."
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall be defined as follows:
AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINE LIGHTING
The exterior lighting installed by a banking institution complying with the minimum requirements of Article II-AA of the New York State Banking Law, commonly referred to as the "ATM Safety Act."
CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
The official charged with the duty to enforce the zoning and other laws, ordinances, codes and regulations relating to buildings and property.
DIRECT LIGHT
Light emitted directly from the lamp, off the reflector or reflector diffuser, or through the refractor or diffuser lens of a luminaire.
EXISTING NONCONFORMING LUMINAIRES
Luminaires not conforming to the provisions of this chapter.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The nighttime illumination of an outside area or object by any man-made device that produces light by any means.
FIXTURE
The assembly that houses the lamp or lamps, including all or some of the following parts: a housing, a mounting bracket or pole socket, a lamp holder, a ballast, a reflector or mirror, and/or a refractor or lens.
FLOOD or SPOTLIGHT
Any fixture or lamp that incorporates a reflector, a refractor, or a prismatic lens to concentrate the light output into a directed beam in a particular direction.
FOOTCANDLE
The amount of light produced by one candle at one foot from the source of the light.
FULLY SHIELDED LUMINAIRE
A luminaire designed and installed in such a manner that all light emitted by it, either directly from the lamp or a diffusing element, is projected below a horizontal plane through the luminaire's lowest light-emitting part.
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GLARE
Light emitting from a luminaire with intensity great enough to reduce a viewer's ability to see, or to reduce visibility for pedestrians or motorists, or which produces a strong, steady or dazzling light.
HIGH ACTIVITY AREA
Parking lot for major cultural or civic events, regional shopping centers and fast-food facilities.
INDIRECT LIGHT
Direct light that has been reflected off or has scattered off an illuminated surface.
LAMP
The component of a luminaire that produces the actual light (commonly called a "bulb").
LIGHT TRESPASS
Light produced by a luminaire that shines upon or is visible from property beyond the boundary of the property where the luminaire is located.
LUMEN
The unit used to measure the actual amount of light which is produced by a lamp or luminaire. Lumen output of a lamp shall be considered to be the initial output rating according to the manufacturer.
LUMINAIRE
A complete lighting system, including a lamp or lamps and a fixture.
LUMINAIRE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (LCS)
The Illumination Engineering Society of North America defines the light distribution and optical control of roadway and area lighting luminaires by the number of zonal lumens expressed as a percentage of the total lamp lumens. LCS replaces the older IESNA cutoff classification system. LCS includes the following classifications:
A. 
FORWARD LOW (FL)This zone ranges from 0 to 60 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 270 to 90 degrees horizontal (in front of the luminaire).
B. 
FORWARD MEDIUM (FM)This zone ranges from 30 to 60 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 270 to 90 degrees horizontal (in front of the luminaire).
C. 
FORWARD HIGH (FH)This zone ranges from 60 to 80 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 270 to 90 degrees horizontal (in front of the luminaire).
D. 
FORWARD VERY HIGH (FVH)This zone ranges from 80 to 90 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 270 to 90 degrees horizontal (in front of the luminaire).
E. 
BACK LOW (BL)This zone ranges from 0 to 60 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 90 to 270 degrees horizontal (behind the luminaire).
F. 
BACK MEDIUM (BM)This zone ranges from 30 to 60 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 90 to 270 degrees horizontal (behind the luminaire).
G. 
BACK HIGH (BH)This zone ranges from 60 to 80 degrees vertical and counter-clockwise from 90 to 270 degrees horizontal (behind the luminaire).
H. 
BACK VERY HIGH (BVH)This zone ranges from 80 to 90 degrees and counter-clockwise from 90 to 270 degrees horizontal (behind the luminaire).
I. 
UP LOW (UL)This zone ranges from 90 to 100 degrees vertical and 360 degrees around the luminaire.
J. 
UP HIGH (UH)This zone ranges from 100 to 180 degrees vertical and 360 degrees around the luminaire.
MEDIUM ACTIVITY AREA
Parking lot for office parks, cultural or civic events, community shopping centers, residential complex parking and transportation parking.
SEASONAL LIGHTING
Any temporary decorative exterior lighting erected for the purpose of holiday, festival or other special event celebrations.
SKY GLOW
The overhead skyward glow of a luminaire from light directly emitted from or reflected above the horizontal plane of the luminaire.
TEMPORARY EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The illumination of an outside area or object by any man-made device that produces light by any means, for a period not exceeding seven days, and occurring no more than once within 180 days. Temporary exterior lighting includes, but is not limited to, laser source light, searchlights and strobe lights.
All new and replacement, permanently installed exterior lighting in the Village of Pittsford, other than lighting erected and maintained by the Village to light public streets, sidewalks, walkways or other public areas, shall be in conformance with the requirements of this chapter, unless otherwise exempted by this chapter.
A. 
All exterior lighting fixtures not otherwise addressed by this chapter shall be LCS type FL, FM, FH, BL, BM or BH. Fixture types FVH, BVH, UL and UH are prohibited.
B. 
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a luminaire containing a single incandescent lamp of 75 watts or less, or the compact fluorescent lamp equivalent, does not require shielding or Planning Board approval when installed in a residential district. The fixture must be approved by the Architectural Preservation and Review Board.
A. 
All illumination of signs shall be in conformance with the requirements of this chapter and with Chapter 168 of the Code of the Village of Pittsford.
A. 
Exterior lighting installed for the purpose of illuminating outdoor recreational facilities (public or private), including, but not limited to, athletic fields, tennis courts or show areas, shall be in conformance with the requirements of this chapter.
B. 
The Zoning Board of Appeals, pursuant to § 210-113B(2) of the Code of the Village of Pittsford, may grant a special exception use for recreational facilities that cannot be adequately illuminated by fully shielded luminaires.
Light fixtures mounted under roof overhangs, soffits and canopies shall be recessed so that the lamp and/or lens cover does not protrude from the bottom surface, or is shielded by the fixture or the edge of the structure, so that light is restrained to no more than 85 degrees from vertical.
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Floodlights and spotlights, except for approved sign lighting, shall be aimed 45 degrees or more below the horizontal.
A. 
Nonconforming temporary lighting may be permitted by a temporary zoning permit issued by the Zoning Board of Appeals, pursuant to §§ 210-109 and 210-113B(4) of the Code of the Village of Pittsford.
B. 
Seasonal lighting is exempt from the approval requirements of this chapter.
A. 
The installation of any mercury vapor fixture or lamp for use as outdoor lighting is prohibited in all districts.
B. 
The installation of high-intensity illumination, including but not limited to high-pressure sodium, metal halide or fluorescent linear fixtures or lamps is prohibited in all residential (R) districts.
C. 
Exterior lighting shall be designed and arranged to reflect light away from and not impinge upon adjoining properties or streets. Luminaires located near property lines shall have a back lighting zone classification of BL. Luminaires with an upper lighting zone classification are not acceptable. Where the use of fully shielded luminaires is not sufficient to prevent light trespass onto adjacent properties, additional shields or reflectors may be required.
D. 
Average illumination levels generated by exterior lighting shall not exceed one footcandle for medium activity areas and two footcandles for high activity areas. The maximum illumination level at the property line from which the light originates shall not exceed .2 footcandle.
E. 
The height of a luminaire shall not exceed 20 feet, as measured from grade to the underside of the luminaire. Light poles shall not exceed 23 feet.
F. 
The total power of a lamp in a luminaire shall not exceed 250 watts.
Exterior lighting installed to illuminate an automatic teller machine may exceed the maximum lighting levels of this chapter, provided that the excess levels are the absolute minimum required in order to comply with Article II-AA of the New York State Banking Law, commonly referred to as the "ATM Safety Act."
A. 
Unless otherwise exempted by this chapter, no person shall erect any exterior lighting without obtaining approval from the Village of Pittsford Planning Board. In addition, approval of the luminaires shall be obtained from the Architectural Preservation and Review Board.
B. 
A building permit shall be required for the installation of approved exterior lighting.
C. 
Requests for variances from the provisions of this chapter may be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals, pursuant to the provisions of Village Law.
A. 
These requirements may be modified as deemed necessary by the Planning Board.
B. 
Applications for lighting approval shall include the following information:
(1) 
A site plan showing the location of all buildings and building heights, parking, and pedestrian areas on the lot or parcel.
(2) 
The location and description, including mature height, of existing and proposed trees.
(3) 
The location and height above grade of all light fixtures, including building-mounted fixtures.
(4) 
The type and lumen rating and wattage of each lamp source.
(5) 
The general style of light fixture and a copy of the manufacturer's catalog information sheet and IESNA cutoff classification system, photometric distribution type, including any shielding information such as house side, internal or exterior shields.
(6) 
A description of the type of controls for the on/off function of the fixtures.
(7) 
A photometric plan showing the initial horizontal luminance on a five-feet-by-five-feet grid across the entire site and a minimum of ten feet beyond the lot or parcel property line.
(8) 
A plan showing the iso-footcandle curve of the combined contribution of all the light fixtures; the footcandles at each five-foot grid crossing; the maximum and minimum footcandle level; and the average to minimum footcandle uniformity ratio for the site.
A. 
Any luminaire that replaces an existing nonconforming luminaire, or any existing nonconforming luminaire that is relocated, shall comply with the requirements of this chapter.
B. 
Any existing nonconforming luminaire that creates glare or light trespass shall be either shielded or redirected, upon notification of the owner or occupant, so that the direct light is contained on the property.
A. 
Any person, firm, corporation or entity, whether as owner, lessee, agent or employee, who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or who fails to comply with any order made hereunder or who installs, moves or alters any light in violation of an approval shall be guilty of a violation and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $100 for each violation. Each day that such violation is permitted to exist shall constitute a separate violation.
B. 
In the event of a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, and after notification of the owner of the premises, in writing, and upon failure of the owner of the premises to correct the violation, the Code Enforcement Officer may remove or cause removal, repair or conformance of the luminaire. All costs and expenses incurred shall be assessed against the owner of the property on which the luminaire is located. Unpaid costs and expenses shall be included as a special ad valorem levy against said property, shall constitute a lien and shall be collected and enforced in the same manner as provided by law for the collection and enforcement of real property taxes.
C. 
An enforcement action may be initiated under Subsection A, B or both of § 117-15.