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Commission reviews proposed lighting standards emphasizing shielding and enforceability
Summary
Albany County staff proposed revising lighting rules to require full shielding rather than a difficult-to-measure foot-candle threshold; commissioners suggested modernizing definitions and removing an illegal fixed compliance date for nonconforming fixtures.
Planning staff presented proposed amendments to the county lighting standards intended to make enforcement practical and consistent. The draft removes an older foot‑candle threshold and focuses on fixture shielding and a full‑cutoff definition so regulators can observe compliance visually rather than rely solely on instruments.
Staff summarized the proposed change: "The light trespass mitigation will be required of shielding," and described full‑cutoff fixtures as ones where "the tops and the sides are all opaque. No light can go out the sides or the top" (S9).
Commissioners and legal counsel discussed modernization of technical language (for example, replacing "bulb" with "illumination source or module"), exemptions for temporary displays and motion-detector lighting, and the need to remove a dated compliance deadline for nonconforming fixtures because Wyoming law does not allow phasing out nonconforming uses by a fixed future date. One commissioner flagged wildlife benefits of downward‑directed lighting.
Staff will revise the draft to clarify definitions, remove the prohibited compliance date, and return with redlined language for future public hearings.
Sources: Staff presentation and proposed amendment summary (S9); comments from commissioners and legal counsel (S8, S4).
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