[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Northport 7-7-1992
by L.L. No. 9-1992 (Ch. 41 of the 1966 Code); amended in
its entirety 11-6-2006 by L.L. No. 10-2006[1]. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Eidtor's Note: This local law also provided that all nonresidential exterior lighting now in existence which conformed to ordinances and laws in effect at the time of their erection or installation and which does not conform to the antiglare provisions of the newly amended chapter, expressed in § 191-4 and 191-6, concerning the lighting of signs, shall be brought into conformity hereto upon any change of use of the subject property, but no later than five years from the effective date of this local law regardless of whether there has been a change of use, unless a waiver or extension has been granted by the Planning Board pursuant to the conditions specified under § 219-19.
A.Â
The Village Board of the Village of Northport hereby
finds and declares it to be in the public interest to regulate certain exterior
lighting within the Village so as to prohibit the maintenance of certain types
of illumination that would constitute a nuisance to the quiet enjoyment of
properties within the Village.
B.Â
The Village Board further finds that the prohibition
of maintenance of certain types of exterior lighting is necessary in order
to promote the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Village
of Northport in that the maintenance of lighting otherwise prohibited hereby
would constitute a danger or nuisance by creating problems of excessive glare,
light trespass, and increased energy use.
B.Â
The provisions of this chapter are intended to regulate
residential, commercial, and institutional outdoor lighting in the Village
of Northport, and do not apply to temporary emergency lighting, or hazard
warning luminaires, needed by the Police or Fire Departments or other emergency
services.
For the purposes of this chapter, terms used shall be defined as follows:
A short vertical post used in landscaping that contains a lighting
fixture.
Light emitted directly from the lamp, off of the reflector or reflector
diffuser, or through the refractor or lens, of a luminaire.
The eye's line-of-sight contact with a direct light source,
which causes a momentary blindness.
The assembly that houses the lamp or lamps and can include 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.
Any light fixture or lamp that incorporates a reflector or a refractor
to concentrate the light output into a directed beam in a particular direction.
Outdoor light fixtures shielded or constructed so that no light rays
are emitted by the installed fixture at angles above a ninety-degree, horizontal
plane from the base of the fixture as certified by a photometric test report.
Full cutoff fixtures must be installed in a horizontal position as designed,
or the purpose of the design is defeated.
Light emitting from a luminaire with an intensity great enough to
reduce a viewer's ability to see, and in extreme cases causing momentary
blindness.
The vertical distance from the ground directly below the centerline
of the luminaire to the highest direct-light-emitting part of the luminaire.
The component of a luminaire that produces the actual light.
The shining of light produced by a luminaire beyond the boundaries
of the property on which it is located.
A unit of luminous flux. One footcandle is one lumen per square foot.
For the purposes of this chapter, the lumen-output values shall be the initial
lumen output ratings of a lamp.
A complete lighting system, comprised of a lamp or lamps and a fixture.
The uniformity of light levels across an area, expressed as a ratio
of average to minimum level of illumination for a given area.
A.Â
All exterior lights and illuminated signs shall be designed,
located, installed and directed in such a manner as to prevent objectionable
light and glare at and/or across the property lines, and disability glare
at any location on or off the property.
B.Â
If any light source is positioned so that it directs
light toward residential uses, or to create glare perceptible to persons operating
motor vehicles on public ways, the luminaire shall be redirected or its light
output controlled as necessary to eliminate such conditions.
C.Â
Any luminaire with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of
more than 1,800 lumens, and all floodlight or spotlights with a lamp or lamps
rated at a total of more than 900 lumens, shall be hooded or arranged so as
not to emit any direct light above a ninety-degree horizontal plane through
the lowest direct-light-emitting part of the luminaire.
A.Â
Exterior site lighting shall be designed to provide a
uniform distribution of light.
B.Â
No direct light source from nonresidential uses shall
be visible at the property line of residential uses at ground level or above.
C.Â
The design of outdoor lighting shall be coordinated with
building design and landscape plans. The style of lighting fixtures and poles
shall be compatible with the scale and general architectural style of the
buildings on the site and the surrounding area.
D.Â
The height of lighting fixtures shall be consistent with
the planned scale of development.
(1)Â
Building-mounted lighting shall not exceed the height
of the eaves on a single-story building or the level of the second floor on
a multistory building.
(2)Â
Along pedestrian walkways, light fixtures shall be mounted
at a height of no more than 12 feet; low-level bollards not exceeding 42 inches
in height may be used as an alternative.
(3)Â
The height of luminaires in parking areas shall not exceed
16 feet.
E.Â
Lighting shall be limited in its hours of operation,
as determined by the Planning Board.
A.Â
Where signs are illuminated, the type of lighting used
shall be the same for all signs on a building and all buildings on the same
site to provide for consistency in visual character.
B.Â
All sign lighting shall be directed at the sign face
to avoid the creation of glare directed towards the sky and shall be appropriately
shielded so that the lamp is not visible to passing motorists or pedestrians.
C.Â
The amount of light reflected off a sign, measured one foot perpendicular from its surface, shall not exceed 50 footcandles at its brightest area when measured with a standard light meter, as per § 243-3A(9).
D.Â
For the illumination of signs, the sign face shall be
provided with an average-to-minimum uniformity ratio of no more than 2:1.
A.Â
Lighting fixtures in parking lots shall be distributed
to maintain a uniform distribution of light. Within parking areas, an average
maintained illumination level of 0.5 to 1.0 footcandle maximum shall be provided,
with an average-to-minimum uniformity ratio of no more than 4:1.
B.Â
Light poles shall be located within landscaped islands
for safety and aesthetic reasons, but shall not interfere with vegetation.
The following types of lighting shall be prohibited except when used
on a temporary basis in connection with a special event. In such instances,
they shall be treated as a temporary sign, requiring a temporary sign permit
from the Architectural and Historic Review Board.
Should any outdoor light fixture or the type of light source therein
be changed after a building or sign permit has been issued, a change request
must be submitted, together with adequate information to assure compliance
with this code, which must be received prior to substitution.
A.Â
It shall be a civil infraction to violate any of the
provisions of this Code. Each and every day during which the violation continues
shall constitute a separate offense.
B.Â
Violations of the provisions of this chapter on residential
property shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 and/or to imprisonment
for a term not to exceed 15 days, in the discretion of the court.
C.Â
Violations of the provisions of this chapter on nonresidential
property shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or to imprisonment
for a term not to exceed 15 days, in the discretion of the court.
