ANN ARBOR, MI — A new Ann Arbor law aims to protect night skies from artificial light and promote energy efficiency.
City Council voted unanimously this week to OK adding more robust outdoor lighting regulations to the city code, a move supported by groups such as Michigan Dark Skies, the Huron Valley Group of the Sierra Club and Michigan Audubon.
The new ordinance was initiated by a community group starting in 2017 and it’s a big deal, said Sally Oey, a University of Michigan astronomy professor.
“The ordinance addresses the exponentially increasing problem of light pollution,” she said. “This is an existential threat to the nocturnal environment, as well as a serious problem for human health and safety. It is a major waste of energy.”
Council Member Erica Briggs, D-5th Ward, thanked Oey for being “quite a force” in helping with the ordinance.
The next phase is going to be educating the community, Briggs said.
“There are many pesky problems that we face as a community and some are very challenging to solve, but honestly light pollution isn’t that challenging,” she said. “This is just about directing light where we need it and where it’s helpful, and not directing it upwards and outwards as much as we do.”
While many residents have porch lights they leave on through the night, the most productive early education efforts would likely focus on working with businesses to retrofit exterior lighting and reduce or eliminate after-business-hours lighting in parking lots, Briggs said. Some education for residents would be helpful, focused on utilizing “dark sky” light fixtures and how excessive lighting actually can be detrimental to safety, she said.
According to the International Dark-Sky Association, there is no clear scientific evidence that increased outdoor lighting deters crimes, and bad outdoor lighting can decrease safety by making victims and property easier to see. The group points to the Chicago Alley Lighting Project showing a correlation between brightly lit alleyways and increased crime.
“In fact, most property crime occurs in the light of the day,” the group states. “And some crimes like vandalism and graffiti actually thrive on night lighting.”
A dark sky does not necessarily mean a dark ground, and smart lighting that directs light where it is needed creates a balance between safety and starlight, the group maintains.
A graphic showing examples of how shielded lights can comply with Ann Arbor's new outdoor light regulations.City of Ann Arbor
Members of Ann Arbor’s Planning Commission, Energy Commission, Environmental Commission, city staff and others collaborated to draft the new ordinance with assistance from local lighting activists and experts.
Brett Lenart, the city’s planning manager, explained in a memo how the city’s lighting regulations are changing.
The city’s development code has basic standards for outdoor lighting, applying mainly to parking lots in new development projects, where minimum light levels are required at night, while allowing some exceptions in residential areas, he said.
Non-parking lot lighting has general requirements for shielding and screening, Lenart said.
The new ordinance expands the regulations to apply to any outdoor lighting in the city, Lenart said. New light fixtures must be fully or partially shielded, depending on the type of installation, and decorative building and landscaping illumination is now largely prohibited between midnight and 6 a.m., except for businesses open during those hours.
“Light trespass” is limited to certain levels at the property line. Properties abutting residential zones have the strictest limits, while downtown can have higher levels of light.
A graphic showing examples of how partially shielded lights used to illuminate buildings and signs can comply with Ann Arbor's new outdoor light regulations.City of Ann Arbor
Current lights that do not conform to the new code may be maintained, but any replacement of outdoor lights must be compliant, Lenart said.
Ordinance exemptions allow temporary light installations on private property for 90 days, which can include holiday lights, art installations and special event lighting, but they must be turned off between midnight and 6 a.m.
Temporary light displays on non-residential properties also must comply with other provisions that prohibit movement and flashing, Lenart said.
There also are exemptions for lighting for flags and light installations determined by the Historic District Commission to contribute to the historic character of a property, such as the marquees for the Michigan and State theaters downtown.
Council Member Kathy Griswold, D-2nd Ward, noted the law applies only to private property and said she’s looking forward to a companion ordinance for public right-of-way areas.
“Because, as we know, sometimes excess lighting is just as dangerous as no lighting,” she said. “And so it’s not just a waste of energy.”
According to the International Dark-Sky Association, glare from bright, unshielded lights along streets decreases safety. The group cites a 2012 report from the American Medical Association stating glare from nighttime lighting can create hazards ranging from discomfort to visual disability.
Council Member Ali Ramlawi, D-5th Ward, asked if the new law would prohibit upward-facing lights such as solar-powered landscaping light fixtures after midnight.
“Yes, that’s the intention,” Lenart said, explaining the law aims to limit light emission, glare and skyglow regardless of source, whether it’s building, landscaping or parking lot lights, and the standards are going to apply broadly.
The city’s goal is compliance and the city typically gives warnings before resorting to citations with penalty fines, Lenart said, indicating residents can report lighting violations using the city’s A2 Fix It app or by emailing planning@a2gov.org.
“We would be happy to work with those property owners to educate and work through any resolution,” he said.
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