From Friends of Harford:
The Problem.
“Light trespass” is when unwanted, manmade light from one property trespasses onto someone else’s property. It is a serious problem throughout Harford, adversely affecting residents, farmers and small businesses.
Light trespass can:
– harm health and quality of life
– cause dangerous night blindness
– adversely impact farmers and other businesses
Homeowners desperately seek relief from auto dealers’ high-intensity, all-night lighting of their bedrooms, living rooms and yards. Sports field lighting at Cedar Lane Park and elsewhere impacts nearby homes. In both rural and non-rural areas, there’s light trespass from recreational fields, parking lots, advertising and poorly designed security lights.
Drivers’ night vision can be ruined because eyes take time to adjust from dark night to intense, unnatural “daylight” and then back to dark.
Artificial light that disrupts the internal clocks of dairy cattle and certain flowering plants hurts farmers’ bottom line. Light trespass affects the desirability of a home that’s for sale.
What’s In Place To Help Citizens.
Basically, nothing exists at the state or local Harford County level to help define or enforce against light trespass.
– The current zoning code has a subjective, unenforceable “not too bright” requirement based on pure opinion, not on objective, measurable numbers.
– Without measurable standards, you will likely lose even if you hire a lawyer to take the owner of the offending lights to court.
– Sometimes the offender is Harford County itself (e.g., outdoor sports fields).
Harford’s 2012 MASTER PLAN and LAND USE ELEMENT PLAN directs the County to:
“Implement enforceable limits on lighting, dust/fumes and noise pollution on all properties to protect all property owners’ rights to peaceful use and enjoyment of their properties and to ensure the effectiveness of buffer zones.” [Reference: Land Use Element Plan page 51, Implementation Strategy]
Noise pollution is limited by a Maryland law that establishes measurable standards. These standards are enforced by the Harford County Sheriff’s Department.
Friends of Harford proposes a Lighting Ordinance to do the same for light trespass.
Our Proposal.
To be effective, a law must have objective, measurable standards to enforce, and penalties must be levied when the law is proven to have been violated. Friends of Harford has drafted an ordinance (law) to do that for light trespass.
Our ordinance is based on the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council’s “Model Outdoor Lighting Ordinance for Inclusion in Zoning Ordinances.” We deleted a few sections that either covered requirements already in the Electrical Code or told property owners what equipment to use; we believe owners should be free to meet the performance requirements however they wish. The other revisions were housekeeping, e.g., substituting “Harford County” for “municipal government”.
With this ordinance:
A simple check with a light meter will determine whether lighting is in compliance with the law. When neighbors complain about existing lighting, this ordinance resolves disputes and protects all property owners by establishing objective, measurable requirements. The ordinance will limit light trespass to 0.1 footcandles at residential property boundaries and 1.0 footcandle at all other property boundaries. The 0.1 footcandles is about the level of light from a full moon that reaches the ground on a clear night.
– Havre de Grace just added a 0.1 footcandle limit to their zoning code to protect the residents of Bulle Rock from excessive lighting from a planned hospital.
Owners of outdoor lights can choose how to meet the requirements. Inexpensive shielding and placement of lights is emphasized. Timers used to control when lights go on and off will now require battery back-up to deal with power outages.
Enforcement provisions with time limits are provided to protect neighbors. There’s little point in having a law unless it’s enforced.
What You Can Do.
Contact County Council members to let them know you support this action. If you can, cite personal examples of how light pollution has affected you to emphasize why the ordinance is needed. Insist that enforcement provisions be kept intact – a toothless law is useless window dressing.
We will let you know when a lighting ordinance is introduced by the Council, and whether it meets the objectives of our proposal. If legislation is introduced which we feel is ineffective, we will certainly let you know and again ask for your support to make things right.
Council Members:
President: Billy Boniface
District A: Dion Guthrie
District B: Joseph Woods
District C: James McMahan
District D: Chad Schrodes
District E: Richard Slutzky
District F: Mary Ann Lisanti
I was shocked at the intensity of the lights at Cedar Lane Park, when I first saw them. To live in one of the houses along Fountain Green Road, with the back facing the park’s lights, must be overwhelming. They are often on past 10:00 or 10:30PM.
And there’s more to come…just wait until the Eva mar property gets developed.
I agree there are too many lights in Harford County. It’s time to turn the county dark and remove all the lights everywhere.
Ban sunlight.
That’s a stupid thing to say.
Tax it.
“Now my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman
And you’re working for no one but me.”
excerpt from
“Taxman” as written by George Harrison
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Let’s start with Jones Junction – – –
They need the light to do all those manicures.
The link to your proposed code is broken, so we can’t read it.
I am concerned that your standard for light pollution doesn’t take into account dense residential living, such as apartments, condos, and town homes, where a neighbor’s porch light might “trespass” onto adjacent properties.
We (Friends of Harford) sent our draft bill to the County Council, who sent it to the Executive’s staff. We then discussed the bill with the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Executive’s lawyer. So the bill that comes back to the County Council will have changes, but based on our discussion we expect all the major requirements to remain intact.
This bill is complaint-driven, meaning no action will occur unless someone complains of excessive light coming onto their property. So there’s no problem with porch lights (or other lights) within apartment complexes or town home communities.
Thanks for the response. I understand the complaint driven nature of the proposal, but my main concern is that is gives angry neighbors more ways to feud with each other.
Perhaps there needs to be a distance component. In some places porch lights are less than 10 feet from properly lines and windows, so maybe a combination of distance and footcandles would be more effective.
Thanks for working on this issue.
You’re welcome, and thanks for your thoughtful comments. It appears there are 2 issues you’re concerned about.
One is lighting within an apartment/condo/townhouse complex. These are designed and built with all of their residents in mind, and anyone buying or renting one of the units in the complex will have accepted the lighting provided. If the lighting is changed in a way that residents find unacceptable, they can either move (if renters) or handle the concern through their homeowners’ association.
The second issue is a too-short a distance between a porch light and a neighboring house. Unless the porch light is a high-intensity light it’s highly unlikely to be a problem. If it is, then the owner of the light may be required to shield it to keep his lighting on his own property so it doesn’t harm his neighbor’s quality of life.
The complaints FOH have heard have come almost exclusively from homeowners being impacted by lights from car dealerships or sports field lighting, and where this lighting was installed after they purchased their home.
I’ll be glad to address any other concerns you may have. Thanks again for your comments.
“Tax it”
Don’t give Annapolis any idea.
This must be some NIMBY nonsense.
Light “pollution”? Where is the crying Native American?
Bright stadium lights to side of the road are a wet fart compared to roads that face where the sun rises, and sunsets in the evening. Let’s ban/regulate/tax that too.
Well I guess you can look at it that way. I see it a little different with out the glare. I think we can save a lot of energy by just installing lights that are smart and illuminate the area for security and not the sky above or the neighbors house. Animals are confused and some killed because of the bright night lights, we can’t see the Milky Way because of light pollution, and glare can cause accidents. These are simple things and awareness can enable you to make a difference. If you care to. I love astronomy and my hobby is seriously limited by light pollution. So that’s my stake in this. There is no money in less light, no politics either just common sense.
I hope it passes, I’m tired of the bright lights the farmer has on next door all night long.
Wow Light police? GTFO. Maryland I feel has been lost to the Marxists. Hows that tax payer funded windfarm going Omalley? Oh wait. Delaware has pulled out of theirs leaving the taxpayers on the hook for 300 million. Fisker? 65 Million. Blue Energy 500 million. Congrats voters. Hope this was the Utopia you voted for.
We all know the sun shines out David Craig’s ass. This proposal will never see the light of day.
You’d be William Mummy out of Missouri?
Munny, that is.
For government buildings and property, this shouldn’t even need to be legistated. If it’s not in use or not a fire/life safety required light, turn it off. Install occupancy and motion sensors. How much energy (and taxpayer dollars) gets wasted by leaving the lights on? I know Harford has made steps in this direction at a few facilities.
As for the property line between residences, this law isn’t needed. Even for single family homes, the light spill over from the sidewalk lamp post or interior windows could exceed 1 ftc.
This proposed law is really about getting the County to turn of sports field lighting and getting large commercial areas and car dealerships to use less lighting. I feel for Friends of Harford scraping the bottom of the barrel for three good reasons because saying the excessive lighting is effin’ dumb and ugly isn’t a politically correct reason to enact a law.
Well, neighbors who install flood lighting and other exterior lighting for safety that is beyond what most would consider reasonable, or how they situate it, can have a real impact on other people, so there should be something to address that, but I think it probably needs to be a different standard than the one here.
There’s also the issue of holiday lighting, which isn’t addressed here either (as far as I know because the link doesn’t work) and is even more complicated.
In any case, it’s kinda sad that we have to even have this kind of thing in code, because if people were just sensible, reasonable, gave thought to other people, or knew how to just sit down and talk things out, we wouldn’t need half the damn codes we already have.
“ugly isn’t a politically correct reason to enact a law”
Clearly you have not met my sister.
There are these new products you might have heard of. Cutting edge technology really. They are called curtains. I know they were only invented some four thousand years ago, but someone needs to try them.
What is frustrating to me is all of the smart ass comments making fun of this proposal. Friends of Harford is the only voice the citizens have in Harford County on zoning related issues. They are the only ones in the County actually doing something on behalf of the citizens and all you ignoramuses can do is criticize them. Until you have a zoning issue pop-up on your border, you have no idea how backward our zoning code and process is in this County. The developers are running roughshot over this County under David Craig and the current County Council. The problem is that most citizens don’t care until something unexpected is planned for the vacant property next door to them. Then they care and then they wish they had helped out instead of trying to be a comedian. Keep making your stupid jokes, you will regret it one day – yes you Bill H!! Friends of Harford does good work for this county, support them or get out of the way.
Kiss my ass.
I don’t like other people’s lights blasting in my face when I’m sitting on my porch at night. I don’t like being forced to buy blackout curtains and tape them to the wall so my kid can sleep at night. If you like bright lights in your face go stare at them, but keep them to yourself. Don’t “trespass” on other peoples’ property. I like this bill.
Then maybe you should not have bought your house in that spot?
I was here first. The lights came later. They should move, not me.
Do you have a bb gun?
I understand that some of the lighting in the area, especially around residential areas can be bothersome. I’ve experienced having a blinding floodlight beaming through my bedroom window in the middle of the night when all I needed was sleep and darkness. But ya gotta take some bad with the good. Good bright lighting can be a pain in the ass, especially when you have one of those neighbors with the motion activated, blinding floodlights that cut on with the slightest puff of wind. But I can guarantee, take away well, brightly lit areas in this county, crime will go up. Crooks can’t stand a well lit area. In some areas, it may not feel or hell, may not even be necessary but, in a lot of cases it is necessary. Businesses become civilly liable for dimly lit areas because people can sue if they say “well that wouldn’t have happened if they had more lights out here.” The same businesses are also subject to thefts and burglaries more frequently if they are not brightly lit, the costs of those crimes are passed on to us, the patrons/customers(mostly via rising insurance costs). With criminal activity, civil liabilities and public safety issues being what they are these days, it sucks but, bright lighting is a necessity. It’s just one side of the argument to consider.
Studies have shown that criminals like bright lighting too. They can easily evaluate potential victims, can tell when security personnel or witnesses are not around, and see clearly for a quick get-away. Intensive lights shining outward can actually stop an observer from seeing crooks standing in the dark nearby.
That said, FOH agrees that lighting is valuable and good for safety and security. We support good lighting so long as it stays where it is useful and wanted. We believe our bill provides an objective (not subjective) tool for resolving “lighting trespass” complaints and for protecting the property rights of all parties.