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Council approves revision to exterior lighting code, sets 11 p.m.–6 a.m. curfew and 1,000-lumen cap
Summary
Toquerville City Council on Feb. 19 approved Ordinance 2025 amending the city’s exterior lighting standards to add a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and to adopt a 1,000-lumens-per-fixture limit for low-output fixtures.
Toquerville City Council on Feb. 19 approved Ordinance 2025 amending and restating Title 10, Chapter 24, Section 4 of the city code to update exterior lighting standards, including a curfew between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and a maximum of 1,000 lumens per fixture where the ordinance references low-output fixtures.
City staff said the revisions were drafted at the request of code enforcement and the city prosecutor to close an enforcement loophole in the existing curfew. Ben, a city staff member who presented the ordinance, told the council the draft added a start-time curfew (6 a.m.) in addition to the existing 11 p.m. end time and clarified enforcement responsibilities by changing “lighting administrator” to “planning and zoning administrator or city designee.” He summarized the purpose: "This 1 was drafted at the request of code enforcement and the city prosecutor having some issues with lights that are being turned off at 11, but then being turned back on at an inappropriate time."
Debate covered several technical points and exemptions. Council members raised questions about commercial 24-hour operations, landscape lighting, solar fixtures, and a previously included holiday-lighting exemption that staff said had been removed because it conflicted with the curfew language. Staff proposed replacing a voltage-based exemption ("systems that utilize 50 volts or less") with a lumen-based limit; the council accepted an amendment to match the ordinance’s lumen language (1,000 lumens per fixture) so the exemption and the general lumens limit are consistent.
The council also discussed enforcement approach and directed staff and the planning commission to further review and clean up inconsistencies in the draft (for example, differing language about flashing/holiday lighting and definitions for canopy or landscape lighting). Staff said code enforcement will do a nighttime audit to inventory compliant versus noncompliant lighting as an initial step; planning staff will report back and the planning commission will review requested clarifications.
Motion and outcome: after amendment to align the exemption language with the 1,000-lumen limit, a council member moved to approve the ordinance as amended; the motion was seconded and passed. One council member stated a dissenting vote during roll call; the motion nevertheless carried.
What’s next: planning staff and the planning commission will be given a list of cleanup items and will return revised wording for council consideration; staff will also verify lumens limits and renumber sections as needed for clarity.
