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Light Pollution
Light Pollution News & InfoThe fight for dark skies rages on.
Although San Diego is blessed with good weather and good astronomy, our proximity to the population density of Southern California produces a sky glow that can overwhelm the night. Both the City of San Diego and County of San Diego have adopted laws to preserve our night skies. Light pollution has much further ranging effects than astronomy, however.
In 1997, the City of San Diego began rewriting the San Diego Municipal Code. Effective January 1, 2000, Chapter 14, Article 2 Division 7 Outdoor Lighting Regulations Code section 142.0740 and 142.0560 H(2) for parking lot shielding, replaces the former section know as the "Light Pollution Law."
Bright street lights shining onto your property is a legal nuisance. For neighbors with bothersome lights, San Diego Municipal Code provides: "(a) Outdoor lighting fixtures that are used to illuminate a premises or an architectural feature on private property shall be directed or shaded so that light does not fall onto surrounding properties or create glare hazards within public rights-of-way." If a violation of the Municipal Code is noted, such as unshielded outdoor lighting (142.0740(a)), call the Neighborhood Code Compliance Department at 619-236-5500 to lodge a complaint. Generally they will not release your name to the offender, but you will need to leave a name with the City. A Code Enforcement officer will then visit the site (at night).
Within the City of San Diego, you can also call the City street lighting engineer Frank Gates at 619-533-3178, or Malcolm Parker at 619-533-3162. Either individual will take your information and you should have a shield installed in 4-6 weeks. Shielding is an option only if the street light is on the same side of the street as your house, but if you don't get a shield, escalate the issue.
The County of San Diego regulates outdoor lighting in the unincorporated portions of San Diego County. The County's Light Pollution Code was passed by the Board of Supervisors in 1986 "to restrict the permitted use of outdoor light fixtures emitting undesirable light rays into the night sky which have a detrimental effect on astronomical research." Federal, State, and Indian property is not subject to the County regulations, however the County requests voluntary compliance. At the Federal level, legislation mandates that the States establish outdoor advertising regulations along Interstate and other designated primary highways. Generally the States are required to implement their own regulations in exchange for Federal Highway Funds. In Californis, that's The California Outdoor Advertising Act. Note that USC131 (h) applies to Federal reservations and public lands--such as Bureau of Land Management land--but apparently does not apply to Indian County.
CalTrans issues permits for Interstate highway advertising and controls billboards on scenic highways and licenses outdoor advertisers. Most towns and cities have sign ordinances that may also be effective near the freeways. However Federal or State owned property such as San Diego State University are exempt from local sign laws and are able to erect billboards, on-premises, along I-8 without any permit at all.
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