Bill Text: IL SB3501 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Enrolled

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Creates the Responsible Outdoor Lighting Control Act. Includes legislative findings. Defines terms. Provides that all new, renovated, or retrofitted luminaires purchased with State funds after the effective date of the Act or installed after the effective date of the Act on a structure or land that is owned, supported, funded, leased, or managed by the State must follow specified outdoor lighting control requirements. Includes various exceptions to compliance. Allows the Attorney General, a municipality, or a county to enforce the Act by filing an action for injunctive relief in a circuit court. Provides that the Department of Central Management Services shall make available a resource guide for the public to add lighting to homes and businesses consistent with the requirements for luminaires on a structure or land that is owned, supported, funded, leased, or managed by the State under the Act, and provides that the guide must include references to publicly accessible websites of advocacy groups approved by the State that provide education, guidance, and specifications relating to the implementation of responsible lighting principles. Provides that, if the Act conflicts with any other federal law, State law, or local ordinance controlling lighting, outdoor luminaries, signage, outdoor advertising, displays, or devices that is more stringent than the Act, then the federal law, State law, or local ordinance controls to the extent it is more stringent than the Act. Effective 60 days after becoming law.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-1007 [SB3501 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB3501-Enrolled.html

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AN ACT concerning safety.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Responsible Outdoor Lighting Control Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Article XI of the Illinois Constitution states the
public policy of the State and the duty of each person is
to provide and maintain a healthful environment for the
benefit of this and future generations and that the
General Assembly shall provide by law for the
implementation and enforcement of this policy.
(2) The House of Representatives has resolved in House
Resolution 884 of the 96th General Assembly to (i) express
its support for improved night preservation practices in
Illinois, (ii) encourage State agencies to adopt suitable
outdoor lighting practices based on the principles of
applying artificial light only where it is needed, when it
is needed, and to only the levels needed using the best
safety and energy-efficient standards available, and (iii)
encourage the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center of
the University of Illinois to provide artificial outdoor
illumination engineering assistance to State agencies,

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municipalities, and businesses that seek to implement
responsible outdoor lighting to conserve and preserve the
important natural phenomenon of night.
(3) The Senate has resolved in Senate Resolution 64 of
the 103rd General Assembly that local governments in
Illinois should abide by the International Dark-Sky
Association (now known as Dark Sky International)
guidelines and lighting principles to help mitigate the
effects of light pollution produced by outdoor lighting.
(4) The State should promote responsible outdoor
lighting.
(5) Government structures, facilities, places, and
spaces should serve as models of best practices for
private structures, facilities, places, and spaces. These
government structures, facilities, places, and spaces
should encourage residents, business owners, and others to
join in transitioning to responsible lighting.
Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"ANSI/IES standards" means the American National Standards
Institute and Illuminating Engineering Society's lighting
guidelines, also known as the IES Lighting Library Standards
Collection.
"Correlated color temperature" means the measure of the
approximate spectrum of the color of light of an object as
perceived by the eye, measured in degrees Kelvin.

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"Fully shielded" means a luminaire that is constructed in
such a manner that all light emitted, either directly from the
lamp or indirectly by reflection or refraction from any part
of the luminaire, is projected below the horizontal plane
aligned with the bottom of the luminaire aperture, where no
part of the lamp protrudes outside of the luminaire or shield.
"Glare" means light emitted by a luminaire that causes
visual discomfort, reduced visibility of objects, or produces
momentary blindness.
"Illuminating Engineering Society Backlight, Uplight, and
Glare rating" or "IES BUG rating" means the luminaire
classification system developed by the Illuminating
Engineering Society that ranks and defines how many lumens of
light a luminaire emits backwards, upwards, and in glare.
"Lamp" means the component of a luminaire that produces
light.
"Light pollution" means the scattering of artificial light
into the nighttime environment caused by excessive or
improperly positioned artificial outdoor lighting resulting in
sky glow, light trespass, or glare.
"Light trespass" means light emitted by a luminaire that
shines beyond the boundaries of the property the luminaire is
intended to illuminate.
"Luminaire" means a complete installed or portable
illuminating device, including a lamp, together with the parts
designed to distribute the light, such as a reflector or

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refractor, parts to position and protect the lamps, and parts
to connect the lamps to a power supply.
"Lumen" means a standard unit of measurement of luminous
flux.
"Lux" means a standard unit of luminous flux expressed in
lumens per square meter.
"Nadir" means the point on the ground that is directly
below the center of a luminaire.
"Ornamental lighting" means a luminaire that has a
historical or seasonal holiday purpose and that serves a
historical or seasonal holiday purpose only.
"Outdoor luminaire" means installed or portable outdoor
artificial illuminating devices used for flood lighting,
roadway and area lighting, general illumination, or
advertisement.
"Permanent outdoor luminaire" means exterior lighting or a
system of lighting that is used in place for 7 or more days.
"Reflective roadway markings" means lines and markers with
reflective properties intended to promote vehicular and
pedestrian safety.
"Reflective signage" means roadway and informational
signage that has reflective properties to aid with vehicular
and pedestrian safety.
"Responsible lighting principles" means the use of modern
lighting technologies, including shielding, an upper limit on
color temperature (2,700 Kelvin), on-off controls, dimming

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controls, and motion sensors.
"Roadway lighting" means permanent outdoor luminaires that
are specifically intended to illuminate roadways for safe
vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
"Sky glow" means the brightening of the night sky due to
inefficiently and improperly lit areas.
Section 15. Outdoor lighting control. All new luminaires
purchased with State funds after the effective date of this
Act or installed after the effective date of this Act on a
structure or land that is owned and managed by the Department
of Natural Resources, including roadways, facilities,
properties, nonhabitable structures, monuments, and public
right-of-way spaces, including sidewalks, with the intended
purpose of outdoor illumination must follow the following
outdoor lighting control requirements:
(1) Permanent outdoor luminaires must be fully
shielded with an IES BUG rating and produce less than 1% of
its emitted light above 80 degrees from the downward
vertical direction of nadir. Light should not be emitted
at an angle above 60 degrees from the downward vertical
direction of nadir.
(2) Luminaires must avoid light trespass by not
exceeding an illuminance of one lux as measured at ground
level both horizontally and vertically at the property
boundary.

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(3) Luminaires must have a correlated color
temperature less than or equal to 2,700 Kelvin. In
residential areas, dark sky locations, or environmentally
sensitive areas, such as State parks and outdoor
recreation facilities, correlated color temperature should
be no more than 2,200 Kelvin.
(4) Outdoor lighting must be minimized to no more than
25% above ANSI/IES standards or United States Department
of Transportation recommendations.
(5) Facade lighting must be minimized to no more than
25% above ANSI/IES standards, must project downward, and
must not violate the light trespass limits in paragraph
(2).
(6) When the installation or replacement of roadway
lighting is planned, the appropriate authority must
determine whether reflective roadway markings or
reflective signage is appropriate and safe for the
situation in lieu of outdoor lighting. Reflectorized
roadway markings, lines, warning signs, informational
signs or other passive means must be used for roadway
lighting, except at intersections of 2 or more streets or
highways, unless it is determined that adequate safety
cannot be achieved by reflective means.
(7) No artificial lighting above one lux, as measured
at ground level both horizontally and vertically, may
trespass onto land or waterways designated or managed as

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habitat, reserve, natural area, open space, or wilderness.
Section 20. Exceptions. This Act does not apply if:
(1) the luminaires are on a structure or land that is
owned, supported, funded, leased, or managed by the State
in a county or municipality that, by ordinance or
resolution, has adopted provisions that are equal to or
more stringent than the provisions of this Act;
(2) a federal law or regulation preempts this Act;
(3) a State agency determines a safety or security
need exists that cannot be addressed by any other method;
(4) fire, police, rescue, or repair personnel need
light for temporary emergencies or road repair work;
(5) it has been determined that a reasonable safety
and security interest exists at correctional or hospital
facilities that cannot be addressed by another method as
long as it complies with existing standards,
specifications, or policies;
(6) navigational lighting systems and other lighting
are necessary to comply with Federal Aviation
Administration airside operations or nautical safety;
(7) lamps greater than 2,700 Kelvin are used on active
sports grounds or show grounds, but only for the duration
of a practice, match, or event. Lamps emitting greater
than 2,700 Kelvin under this paragraph must be positioned,
angled, or shielded to prevent direct glare and light

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trespass onto neighboring property or properties, and the
positioning, angling, or shielding must limit upward light
emission to only the amount necessary to light the
sporting or grounds activity;
(8) flagpoles installed after the effective date of
this Act are lit by means of a downward-facing lamp and
using a lamp of 2,700 Kelvin or lower;
(9) flagpoles installed on or before the effective
date of this Act are upward-lit by partially shielded or
unshielded luminaires using a lamp of 2,200 Kelvin or
lower to minimize the impact of glare, light trespass, and
sky glow and are converted to conform to requirements upon
retrofitting;
(10) the luminaries are existing decorative and
ornamental lighting that serve historical purposes, but
replacement luminaries for the existing decorative and
ornamental lighting must meet the standards of this Act;
or
(11) the luminaries are temporary seasonal holiday
lighting lasting no longer than 45 days surrounding the
holiday season.
Section 25. Other laws. If this Act conflicts with any
other federal law, State law, or local ordinance controlling
lighting, outdoor luminaries, signage, outdoor advertising,
displays, or devices that is more stringent than the Act, then

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the federal law, State law, or local ordinance controls to the
extent it is more stringent than the Act.