City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 17G
Chapter 17G.070
Section 17G.070.150
 

Title 17G Administration and Procedures

Chapter 17G.070 Planned Unit Developments

Section 17G.070.150 Lighting
  1. Purpose.

To ensure that site lighting contributes to the character of the site and does not disturb adjacent development. Lighting should be in scale with surrounding uses and with appropriate shielding, lighting could add safety and ownership to a site, the street or common open space, thus deterring crime. Lighting should not create off-site glare, often caused by lighting in parking areas, building security and general building lighting.

  1. Development Standards.
    1. All exterior light fixtures and illuminated signs shall be designed, located, installed and directed in a manner as to prevent objectionable light and glare across property lines and to residential units within the PUD. (R)
    1. All parking area lighting will be full cut-off type fixtures. A full cut-off type fixture is defined as a luminaire or light fixture that; by the design of the housing, does not allow any light dispersion or direct glare to shine above a ninety degree, horizontal plane from the base of the fixture. (R)
    1. Uplighting shall be limited to accent lighting of architectural features, landscaping features, flagpoles and directed in a manner that the minimal light is dispersed into the night sky or adjacent properties. (P)
    1. “Period” style light fixtures shall be full cut-off type fixtures or limited to one thousand lumen output. A full cut-off type fixture is defined as a luminaire or light fixture that; by the design of the housing, does not allow any light dispersion or direct glare to shine above a ninety degree, horizontal plane from the base of the fixture. (P)
    1. Light fixtures on poles shall not exceed sixteen feet in height and shall follow the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America’s (IESNA) guidelines for fixture height below. (P)

IESNA GUIDELINES FOR FIXTURE HEIGHT

Mounting Height

Lumen* Maximums

6'

500-1000 lumens

8'

600-1600 lumens

10'

1000-2000 lumens

12'

1600-2400 lumens

16'

2400-6000 lumens

*Lumen: A unit used to measure the actual amount of light that is produced by a lamp (bulb). The lumen quantifies the amount of light energy produced by the lamp at the lamp, not by the energy input, which is quantified by the “wattage.”

For example, a 75-watt incandescent lamp can produce 1000 lumens while a 70-watt high-pressure sodium lamp produces 6000 lumens. Lumen output is listed by the manufacturer on the packaging. [Reference – IESNA RP 33-99; Lighting for Exterior Environments.]
    1. Parking lots and sidewalks shall meet the Iluminating Engineering Society of North America’s (IESNA) recommended average horizontal illumination levels below. (P)

IESNA RECOMMENDED AVERAGE
HORIZONTAL ILLUMINANCE LEVELS

Task

Minimum*

Maximum*

Uniformity Ratio**

Parking Lots

.2 fc

1.5 fc

4:1

Pedestrian Ways

.5 fc

1.5 fc

10:1

*Footcandle (fc): the basic unit of illuminance (the amount of light falling on a surface). One footcandle is equivalent to the illuminance produced on one square foot of surface of one candle at a distance of one foot. Horizontal footcandles measure the illumination striking on a horizontal plane.

**Uniformity Ratio: The average level of illumination in relation to the lowest level of illumination for a given area. Example: A ratio of 4:1 for the given area, the lowest level of illumination (1) shall be no less than “4 times less” than the average (4) level of illumination. [Reference – IESNA RP-33-99; Lighting for Exterior Environments.]
    1. Outdoor lighting should create a safe environment for the residents of the project without glare and annoyance to surrounding area residents and motorists, and which is architecturally integrated with the building style, materials and colors. (C)

Date Passed: Monday, September 24, 2012

Effective Date: Friday, November 2, 2012

ORD C34914 Section 11