Town of Clay, NY Lighting

A unit of illuminance on a surface that is everywhere one foot from a uniform point source of light of one candle and equal to one lumen per square foot.

ILLUMINATION

The luminous flux per unit area on an intercepting surface at any given point.

LUMINAIRE

A complete lighting unit.

§ 140-3 Restrictions on installation and operation.

No person, firm or corporation or his or its agents, servants or employees shall install, operate or maintain on private property in the Town any exterior light, lamp or other illumination except in compliance with § 140-4 hereof.

§ 140-4 Standards of operation.

All exterior lights, lamps and other illumination shall be so arranged, adjusted and operated with reflectors, refractors and screening that:

(1)

No illumination shall cause direct light rays to cross any property line.

(2)

All permanent outdoor lights, including those used for area lighting or building floodlighting, shall originate from steady, stationary, shielded sources directed so as to avoid causing a hazard to motorists, pedestrians, or causing direct light rays to be cast upon neighboring properties.

All blinking, intermittent, flashing, or other animated forms of illumination or light, and all sources of illumination which, through direct or indirect means, create glare are prohibited.

The marginal increase in light, as measured at any property line other than a street line, shall not exceed one footcandle.

A luminaire shall be of a design accepted by the Illumination Engineering Society of North America, or IESNA, as a fully enclosed, cutoff-style fixture with an integrally designed, fixed-connector (no swivel) arm for post or wall mounting.

Mounting.

(1)

Wherever possible, light fixtures shall face inward from the perimeter of a property and shall face toward the structure.

(2)

Fixtures used for architectural lighting, for example, facade, fountain, feature and landscape lighting, shall be aimed so as not to project their output beyond the objects intended to be illuminated.

(3)

Canopy light fixtures shall have a flat lens. Drop lens fixtures are not acceptable.

(4)

Flood or spotlights shall be so installed or aimed that they do not project their output into the window of a neighboring property, an adjacent use, directly skyward or onto a roadway.

(5)

Lighting at service stations or convenience stores shall not be mounted on the top or fascia of the canopy.

Height of luminaire shall be measured from the ground.

Light controls.

(1)

All nonresidential lighting shall be extinguished between the hours of 30 minutes after closing and dawn, except where lighting is necessary for safety or security.

§ 140-5 Exemptions.

The following applications of outdoor lighting are hereby exempt from the provisions of this Code:

Hazard warning and emergency lighting by a governmental entity;

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lighting requirements;

Lighting required by the Town of Clay, Onondaga County, state or federal office;

Temporary holiday lighting.

§ 140-6 Nonconforming lights.

Any existing lights which do not conform to the regulations herein established shall be considered a nonconforming light.

All nonconforming lights shall be discontinued within one year from the effective date of this chapter, and their continued use shall be subject to the regulations of this chapter.

§ 140-7 Penalties for offenses.

Any person or persons responsible for such nuisance or annoying lighting as described hereinbefore, whether owner, lessee or lessees or others using any premises with or without the permission of the owner, violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, a complaint having been made, be subject to a fine not exceeding $250 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 days, or to both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. Each day a particular violation shall continue constitutes a separate offense.