## 6.5 Outdoor Lighting Requirements

Outdoor residential lighting is sometimes subject to the residential lighting requirements, and sometimes subject to the nonresidential lighting requirements.

### 6.5.1 Outdoor Luminaires

All lighting attached to the residence or to other buildings on the same lot must be high efficacy. Table 150.0-A lists all qualifying high efficacy light sources. Note that solid state lighting (SSL) luminaires installed outdoors are exempted from the general residential lighting requirement that all SSL luminaires for residential lighting must meet the requirements of Joint Appendix JA8.

### 6.5.2 Single-Family Outdoor Lighting

All lighting attached to the residence or to other buildings on the same lot must be high efficacy, and must be controlled by a manual ON and OFF switch and one of the following automatic control types:

1. Photocontrol and motion sensor.

2. Photocontrol and automatic time switch control.

3. Astronomical time clock control that automatically turns the outdoor lighting off during daylight hours.

4. EMCS that provides the functionality of an astronomical time clock, does not have an override or bypass switch that allows the luminaire to be always ON, and is programmed to automatically turn the outdoor lighting off during daylight hours.

Manual ON and OFF switches must not override the automatic control functions listed above, and any control that overrides the automatic controls to ON must automatically reactivate those controls within six hours.

Lighting that is not permanently attached to a building on a single-family site, such as decorative landscape lighting, is not regulated by the residential lighting requirements. However, providing high efficacy lighting and controls such as a time clock or photocontrol will help save energy and ensure that the lighting is not accidentally left on during daylight hours.

#### Table 6-3 Outdoor Lighting Standards for Single Family Buildings

Outdoor Lighting Requirements Res is short for Residential Standards; Nonres is short for Nonresidential Standards
Spaces or Areas with Outdoor Lighting | Single Family Buildings
Outdoor lighting mounted to building. | Res
Private patios, entrances, balconies, and porches. | Res
Residential parking lots and carports with 8 or more vehicles per site. | Nonres
Parking garages with 8 or more vehicles. | Nonres

### 6.5.3 Low-Rise Multifamily Outdoor Lighting

Low-rise multifamily buildings have the option of complying with either the residential or nonresidential lighting standards for the following applications:

1. Private patios

2. Entrances

3. Balconies

4. Porches

For all other outdoor lighting applications, low-rise buildings with three units or less must comply with the residential lighting requirements, and buildings with four units or more must comply with the applicable nonresidential requirements.

#### Table 6-4 Outdoor Lighting Standards for Low-Rise Multifamily Buildings

Outdoor Lighting Requirements Res is short for Residential Standards; Nonres is short for Nonresidential Standards
Spaces or Areas with Outdoor Lighting | Low-rise Multifamily Buildings
1-3 Dwelling Units | 4 or more Dwelling Units
Private patios, entrances, balconies, and porches. | Res or Nonres (builder’s option) | Res or Nonres (builder’s option)
Residential parking lots and carports with less than 8 vehicles per site. | Res or Nonres (builder’s option) | Res or Nonres (builder’s option)
Outdoor lighting not regulated by Section 3B or 3D. | Not applicable | Nonres
Residential parking lots and carports with 8 or more vehicles per site. | Nonres | Nonres
Parking garages with 8 or more vehicles. | Nonres | Nonres

### 6.5.4 High-Rise Multifamily Outdoor Lighting

Any outdoor lighting attached to the building, which is controlled from within the dwelling unit, must comply with the residential requirements.

Outdoor lighting attached to the building that is not controlled from within the dwelling unit must comply with the following nonresidential requirements:

1. §110.9 – Mandatory Requirement for Lighting Control Devices and Systems, Ballasts, and Luminaires

2. §130.0 – Lighting Systems and Equipment, and Electrical Power Distribution Systems – General

3. §130.2 - Outdoor Lighting Controls and Equipment

4. §130.4 - Lighting Control Acceptance and Installation Certificate Requirements

5. §140.7 - Requirements for Outdoor Lighting

6. §141.0 – Additions, Alterations, and Repairs to Existing Nonresidential, High-Rise Residential, and Hotel/Motel Buildings, to Existing Outdoor Lighting, and to Internally and Externally Illuminated Signs

For information on the nonresidential lighting requirements, see Chapter 5 of the Nonresidential Compliance Manual.

#### Table 6-5 Outdoor Lighting Standards for High-Rise Multifamily Buildings

Outdoor Lighting Requirements Nonres is short for Nonresidential Standards
Spaces or areas with outdoor lighting | High-rise Multifamily Buildings (See footnote 1.)
Residential parking lots and carports with 8 or more vehicles per site. | Nonres
Parking garages with 8 or more vehicles. | Nonres
Footnote: |
1. Residential Lighting Standards applies to the dwelling units; Nonresidential Lighting Standards applies to areas outside dwelling units.

### 6.5.5 Internally Illuminated Signs

Internally illuminated signs shall consume no more than 5 watts of power as determined according to §130.0(c)., or shall comply the with nonresidential sign lighting requirements in §140.8.

Example 6-17: Outdoor lighting: Glare control

Question

Are there any “cutoff” requirements for residential outdoor luminaires?

Answer

There are no “cutoff” requirements for typical residential outdoor lighting. However, residential parking lots for eight or more vehicles are required to meet the Nonresidential Standards, which do include cutoff requirements for luminaries greater than 150W. The requirement uses the Backlight, Uplight and Glare (BUG) ratings developed by the IES to define acceptable amounts of uplight and glare (there are no limits on “backlight.”) Even though not required for most residential outdoor lighting, luminaires that limit uplight are usually more efficient at providing light in the required area, so a lower wattage lamp and ballast can be used. The BUG requirements also reduce stray light and glare problems which can cause visual discomfort.

Example 6-18: Outdoor lighting: Landscape lighting

Question

I would like to install low-voltage landscape lighting in my yard. Are these required to be on a motion sensor and photocontrol?

Answer

No. Although the lighting requirements only apply to lighting that is attached to the building, it is advisable to use photocontrols or astronomical time clock controls for landscape lighting so that the lighting is not left on during daylight hours.

Example 6-19: Outdoor lighting: Patios

Question

Does outdoor lighting on the patio of a high-rise residential building have to comply with the Residential or Nonresidential Lighting Standards?

Answer

If the patio outdoor lighting is controlled from inside of the dwelling unit, it must comply with the Residential Outdoor Lighting Standards. If the patio outdoor lighting is controlled from outside of the dwelling unit, it must comply with the Nonresidential Outdoor Lighting Standards. For example, if the outdoor patio lighting is controlled by a building-wide EMCS outside of the dwelling units, it must comply with the Nonresidential Outdoor Lighting Standards.