Outdoor lighting which shines into a neighbors’ window or yard may soon run afoul of a proposed Gilmer County ordinance.
An ordinance entitled Outdoor Lighting and Glare Standards will receive a public hearing Thursday, July 17, at 1:30 p.m. followed by a first reading during the regular meeting at 2 p.m. at the courthouse.
Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris said the ordinance was born out of “complaints that I was receiving from people who had lights shining in their bedroom windows and couldn’t negotiate anything with their neighbors.”
Problem was there was no rule against a neighbor shining lights into their homes. There was no legal basis for action by the courts.
“For the average homeowner, it’s probably going to mean nothing,” Paris said. “For those who do have a problem, it gives them something to go to a magistrate judge with a complaint.”
Standards will apply to residential and commercial lighting, though the main target is residential, according to Paris.
“There needs to be some consideration between people, but that is not always the case,” he said.
In the ordinance, the maximum brightness for outdoor lighting is set in foot-candles. A foot-candle is defined as enough light to saturate a square foot in one lumen of light. (See chart)
“The main thing is just to keep the lights pointed downward,” Paris said. “It would be most helpful to have them on a switch.”
Lights on a switch can be turned on and off as needed, he said, versus having them shining all nightlong.
No punishments are written into the ordinance. Paris said all complaints will go before the magistrate judge and adjudication is up to the court.