Exterior Lighting

Carriage Trails Lighting Restrictions.

Down load or view the Carriage Trails Policy on exterior lighting. Note that all lighting must also meet the City of Scottsdale Exterior Lighting Requirements as well, see below.

Scottsdale Regulations for Residential Exterior Lighting in ESL

The Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL) overlay applies to two-thirds of Scottsdale located north of the Central Arizona Canal, and is designed to protect and maintain the unique desert character of the area. The ESL ordinance includes requirements related to exterior lighting, and the City of Scottsdale approved a zoning interpretation related to residential exterior lighting in ESL to clarify what type of light bulbs and light fixtures meet city regulations. Exterior lighting includes any lighting that is mounted outside of livable building areas such as in landscaping, parking areas, along walkways and paths, on the outside of building walls, under eaves and patio covers, under open shed covers and within 3 feet of the openings in buildings where the opening is not regularly closed (such as breezeways and entry courts).

To achieve low scale requirements exterior lighting can either be:

  1. Low in physical height, i.e., mounted or placed generally below eye level (6 ft),
  2. Low in lighting intensity, i.e., the maximum capacity of the lighting fixture is 50 watts for incandescent and florescent lighting sources, 25 watts for halogen, 10 watts for metal halide, and 1 watt for LED lighting sources.

To insure minimum light pollution, reduce glare and minimize light trespass onto neighboring properties, exterior lighting is to be directed downward, recessed or shielded so that:

  1. The opening for the light is directed down, not sideways;
  2. The lighting source is hidden from view from off the property by the fixture design or by building structures such as fascia on an eave, walls, pillars, etc.; and
  3. The lighting fixture includes a device or feature such as vanes, louvers, fins, etc. that direct the light downward.
  4. the bulb is shielded so it can’t be seen from residential development or from other public viewpoints.
  5. Translucent and/or colored glass are not viable options unless opacity fully blurs or hides the shape and nature of the light source.

GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE

  1. Soffit-mounted lighting;
  2. Bollard lighting with opaque caps;
  3. Fixtures with lenses of shield that focus lighting in one specific direction (with less than a 45 degree spread);
  4. Light sconces that direct downward only or are placed under an eave; and
  5. In-ground landscape lighting

GENERALLY NOT ACCEPTABLE

  1. Open bulb fixtures;
  2. Fixtures with clear or nearly clear glass or plastic faces;
  3. Fixtures with lenses that scatter lights; and
  4. Flood lights

THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS APPLY:

  1. Any exterior lighting that is visible only from properties zoned and used for commercial, office, industrial or utility purposes;
  2. Low voltage (12v – 20 watt maximum) landscape lighting systems;
  3. Lighting located within a fully enclosed courtyard and placed below the height of the surrounding building or walls;
  4. Recreational facility lighting; and
  5. Security lighting that is activated by motion sensors, is on for no more than 15 minutes, and is located where it does not come on frequently due to regular outdoor traffic or activity.

Additional information is provided online at: City of Scottsdale lighting Design Guidelines web page and in the ESL Ordinance, Site and Structure Design Standards, Lighting in 6.1070, G, 1, f.

Also, there is a policy card at: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Assets/ScottsdaleAZ/Design/PC_Lighting.pdf