New Boulder Code Exterior Lighting Compliance Requirements

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If you work in the City of Boulder, it’s good to be aware of the new exterior lighting requirements – even if your project is an interior tenant finish. This is part of the City’s effort to curb light pollution.

All new permits now require verification of exterior lighting compliance. 

The City of Boulder B.R.C Chapter 9-9-16 is currently being enforced on every project we are seeing in Boulder, and is not limited to only exterior projects. It is impacting even tenant interior projects, and resulting in the hold up of a number of permits for projects which did not plan for this change. In a nutshell, if you have a project in Boulder, interior or exterior, you need to make sure your exterior lighting meets the new code.

To comply with the code, it’s pertinent to take the following steps:

  •  Make sure to conduct a field survey to review the existing exterior lighting fixture locations and styles.

  • Evaluate the type of fixtures – are the fixtures themselves compliant?

  • Are the light levels produced by the existing fixtures compliant?

  • Evaluate the current Exterior Photometric Plan/Calculation

    • The requirements of 9-9-16 require specific light levels and uniformity requirements along different area classifications (pedestrian walkways, parking, etc.).

    • Product information for required re-lamping or fixture replacement needs to be determined by the needs to meet compliance.

  • Don’t forget Preparation for Construction/Permit documents for the required work

  • As a last step, you’ll have to do a Post Verification site visit at completion, and provide written performance verification letter to provide to the city to indicate compliance, as required by the City of Boulder

For more detail, please reference B.R.C Chapter 9-9-16, and reach out to our Project Manager, Melina Moser, with specific questions.

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