[Added 1-20-2020 by Ord. No. 409]
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following words and phrases shall be construed throughout this chapter to have the meanings indicated:
BUG
A luminaire classification system that classifies backlight (B), uplight (U) and glare (G). Classification as defined by IES TM-15-11 or most current edition.
CANOPY
A covered, unconditioned structure with at least one side open for pedestrian and/or vehicular access. (An unconditioned structure is one that may be open to the elements and has no heat or air conditioning.)
FOOTCANDLE
The unit of measure expressing the quantity of light received on a surface. One footcandle is the illuminance produced by a candle on a surface one foot square from a distance of one foot.
IESNA
An acronym for the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, a professional guidance body for lighting engineers.
LED
Light emitting diode.
LIGHT SPILL
Light emitted by a lighting installation that falls outside the boundaries of the property on which the installation is sited.
MOUNTING HEIGHT
The height of the photometric center of a luminaire above grade level.
NEW LIGHTING
Lighting for areas not previously illuminated; newly installed lighting of any type except for replacement lighting or lighting repairs.
SEASONAL LIGHTING
Temporary lighting installed and operated in connection with holidays or traditions.
TEMPORARY LIGHTING
Lighting installed and operated for periods not to exceed 60 days, completely removed and not operated again for at least 30 days.
This article is enacted to require and set minimum standards to:
A. 
Provide for and control lighting in outdoor public places where public health, safety and welfare are potential concerns.
B. 
Protect drivers and pedestrians from the glare of nonvehicular light sources.
C. 
Protect neighbors, the environment, and the night sky from nuisance glare and light trespass.
D. 
Promote energy efficient lighting design and operation.
Required for all uses within the Township where public health, safety and welfare are potential concerns, including:
A. 
Streets and intersections.
B. 
Nonresidential parking areas.
C. 
Automotive fuel-dispensing facilities.
D. 
Automotive sales areas.
E. 
Loading docks.
F. 
Public pedestrian and bicycle paths and sidewalks.
G. 
Nonresidential building entrances.
H. 
Multifamily subdivisions.
I. 
Recreational facilities.
J. 
Other public facilities.
K. 
Any other locations deemed necessary by the Board.
The following uses are exempt from the requirements of this section:
A. 
Temporary, seasonal and emergency lighting are exempt from all but the glare control requirements of this chapter.
B. 
Emergency lighting, as may be required by any public agency while engaged in the performance of their duties, is exempt from the requirements of this chapter.
C. 
Street lighting that is owned or maintained by the Township or state is exempt from the requirements of this chapter.
A. 
Illumination levels. Lighting, where required by this chapter, or otherwise required or allowed by the Township, shall have illuminances, uniformities and glare control in accordance with the most current recommended practices of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) as contained in the applicable publications:
(1) 
The IESNA Lighting Handbook.
(2) 
IES RP-20 - Lighting for Parking Facilities.
(3) 
IES RP-33 - Lighting for Exterior Environments.
(4) 
IES G-1 - Guide for Security Lighting for People, Property and Critical Infrastructure.
B. 
Lighting fixture design.
(1) 
Fixtures shall be of a type and design appropriate to the lighting application.
(2) 
For the lighting of predominantly horizontal surfaces such as, but not limited to, parking areas, roadways, vehicular and pedestrian passage areas, automotive fuel-dispensing facilities, automotive sales areas, loading docks, building entrances, sidewalks, bicycle and pedestrian paths, and site entrances, fixtures shall be aimed straight down and have an uplight (U) value of zero.
(3) 
For the lighting of predominantly nonhorizontal surfaces such as, but not limited to, facades, landscaping, signs, billboards, fountains, displays and statuary, fixtures shall be fully shielded and shall be installed and aimed so as to not project their output onto adjacent properties, into the windows of neighboring residences, adjacent uses, past the object being illuminated, skyward or onto a public roadway or pedestrian way.
A. 
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 as not to create a nuisance by projecting or reflecting light onto a neighboring use or property.
B. 
Directional fixtures such as floodlights and spotlights 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.
C. 
Parking facility and vehicular and pedestrianway lighting (except for safety and security applications and all-night business operations), for commercial, industrial and institutional uses shall be automatically extinguished no later than 1/2 hour after the close of business or facility operation. When safety or security lighting is proposed for after-hours illumination, it shall not be in excess of 25% of the number of fixtures or illumination level required or permitted for illumination during regular business hours.
D. 
Vegetation screens shall not be employed to serve as the primary means for controlling glare. Rather, glare control shall be achieved primarily through the use of such means as cutoff fixtures, shields and baffles, and appropriate application of fixture mounting height, wattage, aiming angle and fixture placement.
E. 
The illumination projected from any use onto a residential property shall at no time exceed 0.1 footcandle, as measured on the receiving residential property line.
F. 
The illumination projected from any property onto a nonresidential property shall at no time exceed 1.0 footcandle, measured on the receiving property line.
G. 
Except as might be permitted by the Township for certain recreational lighting or otherwise allowed by specific use, fixtures shall not be mounted in excess of 14 feet above finished grade.
H. 
Only the United States flag and the state flag shall be permitted to be illuminated from dusk until dawn. All other flags shall not be illuminated past 11:00 p.m. Flag lighting sources shall not exceed 7,000 lamp lumens per flagpole. The light source shall have a beam spread no greater than necessary to illuminate the flag and shall be adequately shielded.
I. 
Under-canopy lighting for such applications as gas/service stations, hotel/theater marquees, fast-food/bank/drugstore drive-ups, shall be accomplished using flat-lens fixtures with and uplight (U) value of zero, aimed straight down and shielded in such a manner that the lowest opaque edge of the fixture shall be below the light source at all lateral angles.
A. 
New electrical feeds for lighting standards shall be run underground, not overhead.
B. 
Poles supporting lighting fixtures for the illumination of parking areas and located directly behind parking spaces, or where they could be hit by snowplows, shall be placed a minimum of five feet outside paved area or tire stops, or placed on concrete pedestals at least 30 inches high above the pavement, or suitably protected by other means as approved by the Township Engineer.
C. 
Pole-mounted fixtures for lighting horizontal tasks shall be aimed straight down and poles shall be plumb.
Lighting fixtures and ancillary equipment shall be maintained so as to always meet the requirements of this chapter.
See Article XX.
Permission to illuminate recreational facilities shall be granted only when the Franconia Township Board of Supervisors is satisfied that the health, safety and welfare rights of nearby property owners and the Township as a whole have been properly protected. When recreational uses are specifically permitted by the Township for operation during hours of darkness, the following requirements shall apply:
A. 
Sporting events shall be timed to end at such time that all lighting in the sports facility, other than lighting for safe exit of patrons, shall be extinguished by 11:00 p.m., regardless of such occurrences as extra innings or overtimes.
B. 
Fixture-mounting heights shall not exceed those necessary to achieve light trespass criteria elsewhere in this chapter.
Where site lighting is required, is otherwise required by Franconia Township or is proposed by applicant, lighting plans shall be submitted for Township review and approval. The submitted information shall contain the following:
A. 
A plan or plans of the site, complete with all structures, parking spaces, building entrances, traffic areas (both vehicular and pedestrian), vegetation that might interfere with lighting, and adjacent uses that might be adversely impacted by the lighting. The lighting plan shall contain a layout of all proposed fixtures by location, orientation, aiming direction, mounting height and type. The submission shall include, in addition to existing and proposed area lighting, all other exterior lighting, e.g., architectural, building-entrance, landscape, flag, sign, etc.
B. 
A ten-foot-by-ten-foot illuminance grid (point-by-point) plot of maintained horizontal footcandles overlaid on the site plan, plotted out to 0.0 footcandle, which demonstrates compliance with the light trespass, illuminance and uniformity requirements as set forth in this chapter or as otherwise required by the Township.
C. 
The maintenance (light-loss) factors, IES candela file nomenclature, lamp-lumen ratings and specific lamp manufacturer's lamp ordering nomenclature, used in calculating the presented illuminance levels
D. 
Description of the proposed equipment, including fixture catalog cuts, photometries, glare-reduction devices, lamps, on/off control devices, mounting heights, pole foundation details and mounting methods.
E. 
When landscaping plans and/or utility plans are involved, they shall contain the lighting fixture locations and shall demonstrate that the utilities, site lighting and landscaping have been coordinated to minimize conflicts. The design shall consider potential conflicts between vegetation and intended light distribution, both initially and at vegetation maturity.
F. 
Plan notes. The following notes shall appear on the lighting plan:
(1) 
Post-approval alterations to lighting plans or intended substitutions for approved lighting equipment shall be submitted to Franconia Township for review and approval.
(2) 
Franconia Township reserves the right to conduct post-installation inspections to verify compliance with the ordinance requirements and approved lighting plan commitments, and if deemed appropriate by the Township, to require remedial action at no expense to the Township.
(3) 
The applicant shall submit three copies of an as-built lighting plan to the Township to verify existing light intensities and uniformity are in accordance with the approved final plans.
(4) 
All streetlights shall be installed and energized prior to the issuance of the first occupancy permit for any subdivision or land development or first phase or section thereof and the lighting maintenance costs shall be the responsibility of the property owner.
A. 
Any lighting fixture or lighting installation existing on the effective date of this chapter that does not conform with the requirements of this chapter shall be required to achieve conformance when:
(1) 
It is deemed by Franconia Township to create a safety hazard or nuisance.
(2) 
It is replaced by another fixture or fixtures or abandoned or relocated.
(3) 
There is a change in use.
(4) 
Minor corrective action, such as re-aiming or shielding, can achieve conformity with the applicable requirements of this chapter.
B. 
When fixtures are added to a site and the number of fixtures added amounts to 50% or more of the existing fixtures, all existing exterior lighting on the site shall be made to conform to this chapter.