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Committee adopts clarified flagpole illumination rules: 20‑foot threshold and new lumen limits
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Summary
The Ordinance Committee unanimously revised the draft to clarify flagpole lighting: U.S. and state flags may be illuminated; poles taller than 20 feet must be lit from above with a limit of 1,000 lumens; poles 20 feet or less may use up to two shielded spot luminaires, limited to 50 lumens per linear foot.
The Ordinance Committee unanimously approved revised wording for flagpole illumination at its Aug. 20 meeting, clarifying a prior ambiguity about which poles fall in each category and setting explicit lumen limits.
The change resolves a drafting ambiguity and a numerical conflict in the draft: the committee altered wording to make clear that flagpoles 20 feet or less may be illuminated with limited spot fixtures, while poles taller than 20 feet will be lit from above and capped at 1,000 lumens. The committee also set a uniform cap of 50 lumens per linear foot for smaller poles.
During discussion the committee noted an earlier draft used the phrase “flag poles less than 20 feet” alongside a separate clause for poles “greater than 20 feet,” which left a 20‑foot pole ambiguous. Committee member Scott proposed and the group accepted changing the language to “flag poles 20 feet or less” to remove that gap. Members also raised a conflict between a per‑foot allowance and an absolute 1,000‑lumen limit: at 75 lumens per foot a 20‑foot pole would exceed 1,000 lumens. The committee amended the numeric cap to 50 lumens per linear foot so the two limits align.
The final text read aloud by the chair and adopted unanimously states, in part: “Flag poles: Only the flags of The United States of America and the state of Maine may be illuminated. Flags on poles with a height greater than 20 feet above ground level shall be illuminated only from above with light output not to exceed a thousand lumens. Flag poles 20 feet or less above ground level may be illuminated with a maximum of two spot‑type luminaires using shields or diffusers to reduce glare. Maximum allowable light output is 50 lumens per linear foot of pole height and be directed toward the flags.”
Committee members agreed shields and directed fixtures are important to reduce glare and that the language should be clear to avoid enforcement confusion. The measure passed unanimously.
Next steps: The committee incorporated the new wording into the draft lighting ordinance and will send the updated draft for legal review and to the dark‑sky reviewer as part of the broader lighting ordinance work.
