2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 13a - Highways and Bridges
Chapter 238 - Highway Construction and Maintenance
Section 13a-110a - Highway and roadway lighting designed to maximize energy conservation and minimize light pollution. State and municipal funds.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Fixture” means the assembly that holds a lamp and may include an assembly housing, a mounting bracket or pole socket, a lamp holder, a ballast, a reflector or mirror, and a refractor or lens;

(2) “Full cutoff luminaire” means a luminaire that allows no direct light emissions above a horizontal plane through the luminaire’s lowest light-emitting part;

(3) “Glare” means direct light emitting from a luminaire that causes reduced vision or momentary blindness;

(4) “Illuminance” means the level of light measured at a surface;

(5) “Lamp” means the component of a luminaire that produces the light;

(6) “Light trespass” means light emitted by a luminaire that shines beyond the boundaries of the property on which the luminaire is located;

(7) “Lumen” means a unit of measurement of luminous flux;

(8) “Luminaire” means the complete lighting system, including the lamp and the fixture;

(9) “Municipality” shall have the same meaning as in subsection (a) of section 7-148;

(10) “Municipal funds” means any bond revenue or any money appropriated or allocated by a municipality;

(11) “Municipal road” means any public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway or place, under the control of a municipality of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to public travel;

(12) “Permanent outdoor luminaire” means any luminaire or system of luminaires that is outdoors and intended to be used for seven days or longer;

(13) “State funds” means any bond revenues or any money appropriated or allocated by the General Assembly; and

(14) “State highway” shall have the same meaning as in subsection (a) of section 13a-1.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, no state or municipal funds shall be used to install or replace a permanent outdoor luminaire for roadway lighting unless (1) the luminaire is designed to maximize energy conservation and to minimize light pollution, glare and light trespass, (2) the luminaire’s illuminance is equal to the minimum illuminance adequate for the intended purpose of the lighting, (3) for a luminaire with a rated output of more than 1800 lumens used on state secondary highways, as defined in section 13a-14, and state special service highways, as defined in said section 13a-14, such luminaire is a full cutoff luminaire, (4) for a luminaire with a rated output of more than 1800 lumens used on municipal roads, such luminaire is a full cutoff luminare, (5) for a luminaire with a rated output of more than 1800 lumens used on state primary highways, as defined in said section 13a-14, for which, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Transportation, use of a full cutoff luminaire shall not compromise the safety of the highway, increase the cost of the lighting plan or lighting replacement for the highway or violate any provision of federal law, such luminaire is a full cutoff luminaire, (6) the Commissioner of Transportation determines that the purpose of the lighting installation or replacement of lights on state highways cannot be achieved by reducing the speed limit in the area to be lighted or by installing reflectorized roadway markers, lines, warnings, informational signs or other means of passive or reflective lighting, and (7) the chief elected officer of a municipality or such officer’s designee, determines that for a municipal road the purpose of the lighting installation or replacement cannot be achieved by reducing the speed limit in the area to be lighted or by installing reflectorized roadway markers, lines, warnings, informational signs or other means of passive or reflective lighting.

(c) The Commissioner of Transportation or the commissioner’s designee may waive the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section when, after a request for such a waiver has been made and reviewed, the commissioner or the commissioner’s designee determines that such a waiver is necessary for the lighting application. Requests for such a waiver shall be made to the commissioner or the commissioner’s designee in such form as the commissioner shall prescribe and shall include, without limitation, a description of the lighting plan, a description of the efforts that have been made to comply with the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section and the reasons such a waiver is necessary. In reviewing a request for such a waiver, the commissioner shall consider design safety, costs and other factors deemed appropriate by the commissioner.

(d) The chief elected official of a municipality or said official’s designee may waive the provisions of subdivision (4) of subsection (b) of this section when, after a request for such a waiver has been made and reviewed, said official or said official’s designee determines that such a waiver is necessary for the lighting application. Requests for such a waiver shall be made to said official or said official’s designee in such form as said official shall prescribe and shall include, without limitation, a description of the lighting plan, a description of the efforts that have been made to comply with the provisions of subdivision (4) of subsection (b) of this section and the reasons such a waiver is necessary. In reviewing a request for such a waiver, said official shall consider design safety, costs and other factors deemed appropriate by said official.

(e) No public utility company may install or replace a permanent outdoor luminaire for roadway lighting, if the cost of operating such luminaire is paid for by municipal funds, unless (1) the luminaire is designed to maximize energy conservation and to minimize light pollution, glare and light trespass, (2) the luminaire’s illuminance is equal to the minimum illuminance adequate for the intended purpose of the lighting, and (3) for a luminaire with a rated output of more than 1800 lumens used on municipal roads, such luminaire is a full cutoff luminaire. The chief elected official of a municipality or said official’s designee may waive the provisions of subdivision (3) of this subsection when, after written notice from the public utility company thirty days prior to the installation or replacement of said luminaire, said official or said official’s designee determines that a waiver is necessary for the lighting application. Such notice shall be in such form as said official shall prescribe and may include a description of the lighting plan and a description of the efforts that have been made to comply with the provisions of subdivision (3) of this subsection. Said official may consider design safety, costs and other factors deemed appropriate by said official.

(f) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the installation or replacement of luminaires for which the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management (1) conducts a life-cycle cost analysis of one or more luminaires which meet the requirements set forth in subsection (b) of this section and one or more luminaires which do not meet such requirements, and (2) certifies that a luminaire which meets such requirements is not cost effective and is not the most appropriate alternative based on the life-cycle cost analysis.

(P.A. 95-217, S. 6; P.A. 01-134.)

History: P.A. 01-134 amended Subsec. (a) by adding definitions of “municipality”, “municipal funds”, “municipal road” and “state highway” and redesignating existing Subdivs. (9) and (10) as Subdivs. (12) and (13), amended Subsec. (b) by making section applicable to municipal funds, adding Subdiv. (4) re requirements for a luminaire on municipal roads, redesignating existing Subdiv. (4) as Subdiv. (5) and adding provisions as Subdivs. (6) and (7) re determinations by commissioner and chief elected officer of a municipality, amended Subsec. (c) by making technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality, added Subsec. (d) re waiving the provisions of Subsec. (b)(4), added Subsec. (e) re conditions for a public utility company to install or replace a permanent outdoor luminaire for roadway lighting and redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (f).