Township of Whitpain, PA Nuisance Disturbance by Lighting

In residential districts or any other district where exterior lighting casts light onto residential properties, any permitted illumination of buildings, structures, yards, tennis courts, pools, signs, or other open areas shall be subject to the following regulations:

Outdoor lighting shall be selected, located and focused so that only the building, structure, yard, sign, or other open area on the lot is illuminated. Signs, if lighted, shall be externally illuminated only from directly above the face of the sign. The internal lighting limitation shall not apply to internally lit signs that have been approved by the Township and are designed and operated in compliance with the Township's ordinances.

All lighting shall be aimed, located, designed, fitted and maintained so as not to present a hazard to drivers or pedestrians by impairing their ability to safely traverse and so not to create a nuisance by projecting or reflecting objectionable light onto a neighboring use or property.

Directional luminaries, such as floodlights and spotlights, when their use is specifically approved by the Township, shall be so shielded, installed and aimed that they do not project their output into the windows of neighboring residences, adjacent uses, past the object being illuminated, skyward or onto a public roadway or pedestrian way. Floodlights installed above grade on residential properties, except when motion-sensor actuated, shall not be aimed out more than 45° from straight down. When a floodlight creates glare as viewed from an adjacent residential property, the floodlight shall be required to be reaimed and/or fitted with a shielding device to block the view of the glare source from that property.

Outdoor lighting shall be aimed and/or shielded so that the light shall not be directed onto any adjacent lot, public street or public right-of-way. If any exterior luminaire (light fixture) exceeds the following lamp wattage limits, then the source of illumination shall be fully shielded in order to prevent glare and off-site migration of light onto adjacent properties. The following limits shall apply to the total lamp wattage per luminaire:

(1)

Incandescent: 100 watts.

(2)

Halogen (quartz or tungsten halogen): 75 watts.

(3)

Halogen infrared reflecting (infrared-conserving): 60 watts.

(4)

High-pressure sodium (HPS): 50 watts.

(5)

Pulse start metal halide (PSMH) or ceramic metal halide (CMH): 40 watts.

(6)

Compact fluorescent (CFL): 26 watts.

(7)

Straight (linear) fluorescent: 32 watts.

(8)

Low voltage (12 to 24 volts) landscape lighting:

(a)

Incandescent: 25 watts.

(b)

Halogen: 15 watts.

(c)

LED: two watts.

(9)

LED: 12 watts.

Outdoor lighting shall not result in a measurable light level greater than 1/2 footcandle at the approximate location of the property line or lot line, measured either vertically, horizontally, or line of sight at an elevation of five feet above grade.

No decorative, sign or floodlighting, except low-intensity (low-brightness) safety or security lighting, which exceeds the lamp wattages listed above shall be permitted to operate after 11:00 p.m. and until dawn. Lighting controlled by an automatic motion sensor, with daylight detection plus automatic turnoff and adjusted for a maximum "on" duration of not more than 10 minutes, shall be exempt from the 11:00 p.m. time limit.

Holiday lighting and lighting displays shall not constitute a disturbance of the peace unless operated after 11:00 p.m. and before dawn. Holiday lighting and light displays should be designed in a manner to avoid directed light or glare on a neighboring property.

"Barn lights," aka "dusk-to-dawn lights," when a source of glare as viewed from an adjacent property, shall not be permitted unless effectively shielded as viewed from that property.