Bill Text: IL SB2763 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Responsible Outdoor Lighting Control Act. Restricts State money from being used to install or replace permanent outdoor lighting units unless certain conditions are met. Provides that specified lighting units that were installed prior to the effective date of the Act and that produce light pollution need not be replaced until the end of the life of the lamp. Provides that these requirements apply to all lighting on or in all newly constructed, renovated, and retrofitted State-owned, State-supported, State-funded, or State-related rights-of-way, roadways and sidewalks, spaces, facilities, properties, nonhabitable structures, monuments, and flagpoles. Sets forth exemptions. Effective January 1, 2025.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-17 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Natalie Toro [SB2763 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2763-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB2763 Introduced 1/16/2024, by Sen. Laura Ellman SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Responsible Outdoor Lighting Control Act. Restricts State money from being used to install or replace permanent outdoor lighting units unless certain conditions are met. Provides that specified lighting units that were installed prior to the effective date of the Act and that produce light pollution need not be replaced until the end of the life of the lamp. Provides that these requirements apply to all lighting on or in all newly constructed, renovated, and retrofitted State-owned, State-supported, State-funded, or State-related rights-of-way, roadways and sidewalks, spaces, facilities, properties, nonhabitable structures, monuments, and flagpoles. Sets forth exemptions. Effective January 1, 2025.
LRB103 36055 LNS 66142 b
A BILL FOR
SB2763 LRB103 36055 LNS 66142 b
AN ACT concerning lighting.
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
that 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 public policy.
(2) The House of Representatives of the State of
Illinois has resolved to:
(A) express its support for improved night
preservation practices in the State;
(B) 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 the levels it is needed,
using the best safety and energy-efficient standards
available; and
(C) encourage the Illinois Sustainable Technology

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Center to provide artificial outdoor illumination
engineering assistance to State agencies,
municipalities, and businesses that seek to implement
responsible outdoor lighting in order to conserve and
preserve the important natural phenomenon of night.
(3) The Illinois Senate has resolved that local
governments in the State should abide by guidelines and
lighting principles of the International Dark-Sky
Association (now known as Dark Sky International) to help
mitigate the effects of light pollution produced by
outdoor lighting.
Section 10. Intent. It is the intent of the General
Assembly that governmental structures, governmental
facilities, governmental places, and governmental spaces serve
as models of best practices for private structures, private
facilities, private places, and private spaces, in order to
encourage residents, business owners, and others to implement
responsible lighting principles.
Section 15. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"BUG rating" means a luminaire classification system that
was developed by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)
and that ranks and defines how many lumens of light a lighting
unit emits backward, upward, and in glare.
"Correlated color temperature" or "CCT" means the color of

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light perceived by the eye as measured in kelvin (k) units,
with warmer colors appearing toward the red end of the
spectrum and having lower kelvin temperatures and cooler
colors appearing toward the blue end of the spectrum and
having higher kelvin temperatures.
"Foot-candle" or "fc" means a measurement that is
expressed in lumens per square foot.
"Fully shielded" means, when used to describe a lighting
unit, that the lighting unit 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
lighting unit, is projected below the horizontal plane, with
the downward-pointing beam of light casting within an angle of
60 degrees from the vertical, and with no part of the lamp
protruding outside of the lighting unit or shield.
"Glare" means light emitted by a lighting unit that causes
visual discomfort, reduced visibility of objects, or momentary
blindness and reduced safety and security.
"Lamp" means the component of a lighting unit that
produces light.
"Light pollution" means the scattering of artificial light
into the nighttime sky, caused by excessive or improperly
positioned artificial outdoor lighting, resulting in sky glow,
light trespass, and glare.
"Light trespass" means an occurrence in which light that
is emitted by a lighting unit shines beyond the boundaries of

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the property that the lighting unit is intended to illuminate.
"Lighting unit" means a complete artificial illuminating
device, installed or portable, including a lamp, together with
the parts designed to distribute the light, such as a
reflector or refractor, parts to position and protect the
lamps, and parts to connect the lamps to the power supply.
"Lumen" means a specific standard unit of measurement of
luminous flux.
"Lux" means a unit of luminous flux on a surface
orientated toward a light source that is expressed in lumens
per square meter.
"Ornamental lighting" means a lighting unit that serves a
historical or seasonal holiday purpose only.
"Outdoor lighting units" means an outdoor artificial
illuminating device, installed or portable, used for
floodlighting, roadway and area lighting, general
illumination, or advertisement.
"Partially shielded lighting unit" means a lighting unit
that projects or directs its light parallel to or above the
horizontal plane that may be emitted either directly from the
lamp or indirectly by reflection or refraction from any part
of the lighting unit, producing significant light pollution.
"Permanent outdoor lighting unit" means any lighting unit
or system of lighting units that is outdoors and that is used
for 7 days or more.
"Reflective roadway markings" means the lines and markers

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with reflective properties intended to promote vehicular and
pedestrian safety.
"Reflective signage" means the roadway and informational
signage that has reflective properties to aid with vehicular
and pedestrian safety.
"Responsible lighting principle" means the principle of
using the best available advanced lighting technologies,
including shielding, an upper limit on correlated color
temperature of 2,700 K, on-off controls, dimming controls, and
motion sensors.
"Roadway lighting" means permanent outdoor lighting units
that are specifically intended to illuminate roadways for
vehicular traffic.
"Sky glow" means the brightening of the night sky over
inefficiently and improperly lit areas.
"Wall pack lights" means the lighting units that are fixed
to a building's exterior, usually on a wall that faces outward
from a building.
Section 20. Outdoor lighting control.
(a) State money may not be used to install or replace
permanent outdoor lighting units unless all of the following
conditions are met:
(1) The permanent outdoor lighting unit must be fully
shielded and:
(A) have an IES rating of B0 and G0 on the BUG

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rating system and emit no light above an angle of 60
degrees from the downward vertical direction; and
(B) have an IES rating of U0 on the BUG rating
system and emit zero lumens upward.
(2) Outdoor lighting units must be placed to avoid
light trespass and must not exceed illuminance of 0.05 fc
or 0.5 lux at the property boundary.
(3) Any wall pack lights must be fully shielded to an
angle of no more than 60 degrees from the downward
vertical direction to eliminate glare and light trespass.
(4) The lighting units must have a correlated color
temperature of less than or equal to 2,700 K. In
residential areas, the CCT of the lighting unit should not
exceed 2,200 K. In dark sky locations or environmentally
sensitive areas, such as Department of Natural Resource
State parks and outdoor recreation facilities, the CCT
should not exceed more than 2,200 K. No lighting units
shall have a correlated color temperature that exceeds
2,700 K.
(5) The use of outdoor lighting must be minimized to
only that which is needed for comfort and safety while
still maintaining compliance with responsible lighting
principles. Low-intensity facade lighting is permitted as
long as the light projects downward and no lighting spills
beyond the facade being lit. Between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.,
lighting units must be turned off or dimmed.

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(6) The lighting units in locations that are not in
use after 11 p.m., including in environmentally sensitive
areas, such as State parks, must use timers that are set to
turn off after 11 p.m. or must use motion sensors.
(7) Light trespass from the interior of a building or
structure must be minimized by lowering window shades
after sunset or by turning off lighting when not in use.
(8) At the time of installation or replacement, the
appropriate authority must determine whether reflective
roadway markings or reflective signage is appropriate and
safe for the situation in lieu of outdoor lighting.
Reflective 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
lighting cannot be achieved by reflective means.
(b) A lighting unit with a lamp that has a correlated color
temperature that is greater than 2,700 K, that is installed
prior to the effective date of this Act, and that produces
light pollution does not need not be replaced until the end of
the life of the lamp but must comply with subsection (c).
At the end of the life of an existing lamp, partially
shielded lighting units must be fitted with a new lamp that
complies with paragraph (4) of subsection (a) and must be
remediated, either by repositioning or by full shielding, so
that the lighting unit complies with paragraphs (1) through

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(3) of subsection (a).
If a State-funded entity possesses unshielded or partially
shielded lighting units on the effective date of this Act, the
unshielded or partially shielded lighting units shall be:
(1) immediately remediated upon the end of the life of
the lamp with a new lamp that complies with paragraph (4)
of subsection (a); and
(2) remediated either by repositioning the lighting
unit or by fully shielding the lamp so that it complies
with paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (a).
If the State-funded entity chooses to replace current,
unshielded or partially shielded lighting units before the end
of the life of the lamp, the entity may not purchase new,
unshielded or partially shielded lighting units as
replacements. If the entity does purchase new, unshielded or
partially shielded lighting units as replacements, the entity
may not receive State assistance for the cost of the new
lighting units.
(c) Wherever possible, existing partially shielded and
unshielded lighting units shall be repositioned to minimize
upward-directed light, glare, and light trespass.
(d) The requirements of subsection (a) shall apply to all
lighting units on or in all newly constructed, renovated, and
retrofitted State-owned, State-supported, State-funded, or
State-related rights-of-way, roadways and sidewalks, spaces,
facilities, properties, nonhabitable structures, monuments,

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and flagpoles.
(e) The requirements of subsection (a) do not apply:
(1) If federal laws, rules, or regulations preempt
State laws, rules, or regulations.
(2) If fire, police, rescue, or repair personnel need
light for temporary emergencies or road repair work.
(3) If it has been determined that a reasonable safety
and security interest exists at correctional and hospital
facilities that cannot be addressed by another method
without increasing the cost or reducing the effectiveness
of the lighting as long as it complies with existing
standard specifications or policies.
(4) To navigational and other lighting systems
necessary for aviation and nautical safety.
(5) To municipalities that already comply with this
Section.
(6) To lighting units on active sports or show grounds
may use lamps greater than 2,700 K, but only for the
duration of a specific practice, match, or event. Lighting
units shall be positioned, angled, or shielded to prevent
direct glare and light trespass onto neighboring property
or properties. The shielding shall limit upward light
emission to only the amount necessary to light the
sporting or grounds activity.
(7) To new flagpoles that are lit by means of a
downward-facing lamp and shall use a lamp of 2,200 K or

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lower. Existing flagpoles that are upward-lighted by
partially shielded or unshielded lighting units shall use
a lamp of 2,200 K or lower to minimize the impact of glare,
light trespass, and sky glow. When appropriate, existing
flagpoles shall be converted to new flagpole requirements.
(8) To existing ornamental lighting that serves
historical purposes and seasonal holiday lighting that is
temporary to the season. New ornamental lighting shall
strive to comply with the restrictions of this Section
regarding shielding and must comply with the requirements
of this Section regarding lamps. To the extent that it is
available and feasible, ornamental lighting that serves a
seasonal holiday purpose should be use lamps of 2,700 K or
lower.
Section 25. Resources. The Department of Central
Management Services shall make available a resource guide for
the public to add compliant lighting to homes and businesses.
The guide shall include references to publicly accessible
Internet websites of advocacy groups approved by the State
that provide education, guidance, and specifications relating
to the implementation of responsible lighting principles.
Section 30. Other laws. This Act shall not supersede any
other federal or State law controlling lighting; outdoor
lighting units or signage; or outdoor advertising, displays,

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or devices.