Street Lighting

Contents

• Statutes Regarding Provision of Street Lighting
• Street Lighting Standards
• Sample Design Standards
• Ordinance Provisions
• Rates
• Additional Information Resources
• Related MRSC Web Pages
  • LED Solid State Lighting
  • Light Nuisances - Ambient Light, Light Pollution Glare - Dark Skies

Statutes and Opinions Regarding Provision of Street Lighting

• Ch. 35.43 RCW - Local Improvement Districts
• RCW 35.72.020 - Authorizes street lighting as part of what street latecomer agreements may reimburse
• RCW 36.88.015 - County Road Improvement Districts - Additional purposes - construction, installation, improvement, operation, and maintenance of street and road lighting systems for any county roads
• RCW 54.16.120 - Local utility districts authorized for providing street lighting
• Water-Sewer Districts
  • RCW 57.08.060 - Water-Sewer Districts  - Powers as to street lighting systems -- Establishment
  • RCW 57.16.010 - General comprehensive plan of improvements (4) For a general comprehensive plan for street lighting, the commissioners shall investigate all portions and sections of the district and adopt a general comprehensive plan for street lighting for the district suitable and adequate for present and future needs
• RCW 82.80.040  - Street Utility - May include street lighting; however, Seattle adopted a street utility ordinance, but its street utility charge was declared unconstitutional in Covell v. Seattle, 127 Wn.2d 874 (1995). The court held that the street utility charges constitute a property tax, and that they violate article 7, section 1 of the state constitution, because the tax is not uniform.
• RCW 87.03.016  - Irrigation Districts - District may provide street lighting — Limitations
• AGO 2001 No. 1 - Cities and towns lack the authority to operate their street lighting as a utility or to impose a charge on the city's utility customers for the cost of furnishing street lighting

Street Lighting Standards

• IESNA American National Standard Practice for Roadway Lighting (ANSl/IES RP-8) - Blurb from IESNA Online Store
• NFPA National Electrical Code (ANSI/NFPA 70) - NFPA Catalog Blurb
• IEEE National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C2) - National Electrical Safety Code Zone
• ASSHTO Roadway Lighting Design Guide, 2005 -  ASSHTO Bookstore Blurb

Sample Design Standards

• Bremerton Public Works and Utilities Standards - Street Lighting
• Ellensburg - Illumination Standards (  2.43 MB), Section 8, Ellensburg Development Standards, 2006
• Kennewick
  • Kennewick - Standard Specifications for Street Light Construction(  59 KB), Section 6, Standard Specifications
  • Kennewick  - Single-Family Design Standards Residential Street Lights (  4.94 MB)
• Mill Creek - Design and Construction Standard Plans - See provisions relating to various street lighting  p 34-43
• Seattle - Design Criteria - Street Lighting,  Section 4.16, Right-of-way Design Manual

 Ordinance and Policy Provisions

• Bonney Lake
  • Bonney Lake Municipal Code Ch. 12.28  - Street Lighting
  • Bonney Lake Street Lighting Information ( 424 KB)- Summary on street lighting practices with illustrating documents: street light policy development; street light detail; development checklist; street light criteria; street light priority; street light plan
• Mountlake Terrace - Draft of Street Lighting Policy ( 64 KB)
• SeaTac Municipal Code Ch. 17.32  - Crime Prevention - Private Street Lighting  - See other lighting  provisions of  Title 17 Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
• Pierce County Resolution R2006-138s ( 77 KB) - Policy on street illumination; makes modifications to Title 17B and the Manual on Design Guidelines and Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction
• Wenatchee - Street Illumination Policy ( 60 KB)
• Vancouver - Traffic Safety - Street Lighting

Rates

• Seattle City Light Schedule T - Street Lights (private customers)
• Tacoma Power  Rates
  • Schedule H1 -  Street Lighting and Traffic Signal Service
  • Schedule H2 - Private Off Street Lighting Service
• Special Districts
  • Benton PUD -  Street Lighting Rates
  • Cowlitz County PUD Schedule 40 - Public Street Lighting Service ( 13 KB)
  • Franklin PUD Street Lighting Service
  • Grant County PUD No. 2, Rate Schedule No. 6 - Street Lighting Service ( 33 KB)
  • Lewis County PUD No. 1, Schedule No. 50  Street Lighting Service

Additional Information Resources

• Implementation of Decision-Making Tools that Address Light Pollution for Localities Planning Street Lighting ( 287 KB), prepared by the Lighting Research Center, March 2003
• Puget Sound Energy - Municipal Services
• Street Lighting - IDA Information Sheets & Practical Guides
• Roadway Lighting Standards  in Outdoor Lighting Code Handbook ( 1017 KB), International Dark-Sky Association 2000
• Transportation Lighting - Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Washington Chapter, American Public Works Association Forum - Previous Research Reports - See Street Lighting items