Light Pollution/Being Dark Sky Friendly [Outdoor Lighting Park City]

Preserving the beauty of the night sky is everyone’s responsibility. That said, dark sky friendly ordinances do create a challenge for many looking to add task lighting to their property for safety and aesthetics. 

Our question: how do we light our properties when there are so many restrictions on outdoor lighting in Park City?

Park City Living 

Dark sky friendly ordinances are an understated benefit to Park City living.

What is it about living in Park City that’s so enjoyable? Many would say the quiet peace and serenity is what makes this old mining town such a beautiful place to retreat. 

No one wants the ambiance here disrupted.

Dark sky ordinances help to preserve this natural serene setting because, unfortunately, outdoor lighting can cause disruption in many ways. 

What is the problem with outdoor lighting? No one wants their neighbor’s lights shinning in their windows at night. No one wants their view interrupted by a brightly illuminated property. No one wants their view of the stars to be tarnished by light pollution. 

Viewing the stars in the heavens up above is becoming a rare site. Large cities and highly populated areas have all but had their skies consumed by light pollution. 

If you have become agitated trying to find an outdoor lighting solution for your mountain home, don’t lose site of the natural beauty and ambiance these restrictions have preserved. The continued preservation our night skies and view across Park City shouldn’t be undervalued.

Experience Outdoor Lighting in Park City

Many HOAs, i.e. Pomontory, Glen Wild, The Colonies, etc., have restrictions concerning outdoor lighting. Yet, it is still possible to experience beautiful outdoor lighting around your property without it imposing on the night sky or your neighbor’s windows. 

Don’t think of dark sky ordinances as restrictions, think of them as promptings for us all to try and be more responsible stewards with how we design our outdoor lighting. 

Guidelines:

Each HOA has their own specific restrictions. You’ll want to check with them to be sure that your project is inline with their standards. However, here are some good guidelines or lighting tactics that are typically deemed appropriate for mountain living. 

• Path Lighting

For safety, its always a good idea to have your walkways lit. The great thing about path lights are the way they direct light downwards. 

A traditional path light is a great option for illuminating steps and paths because it directs light downwards. The light isn’t just directed downwards, the source is also obscured so your neighbors won’t have any glaring lights shinning in their eyes. Not only is path lighting a beautiful and functional way to add a splash of light to your landscape, it is also considered a dark sky friendly solution.

• Entryways

Lighting the entry way to your home is a must. Coming home to a dark and ominous home in the evening isn’t ideal. Lighting entries ways is especially important from a security standpoint. A warmly lit entry adds a lot to your home’s curb appeal without turning your home into the Vegas strip for the neighbors. When done tastefully, Illuminating entry points to your home can be done in a dark sky friendly manor. 

• Down Lighting 

Outdoor lighting ordinances in Park City play a crucial role in preserving our ability to view the stars at night. One of the least intrusive lighting methods, for both the sky and your neighbors, is down lighting. Down lighting is where a light fixture is mounted up high (be it a tree or architectural mount) and casts a gentle wash of light at the target down below. In the next image, you can see an example of how down lighting was used to illuminate this pathway.

It’s important to note that a down light and a flood light are two very different things. A flood light shines bright light everywhere, a down light directs a soft light at a specific spot and negates the amount of glare that can be seen.

Still unsure how to proceed with your outdoor lighting design? If you’re looking to start a lighting project of your own, why not give your local outdoor lighting designer a call? With years of experience in the world of outdoor lighting design, they will be able to help ensure your project turns out beautiful, while still doing your part to help keep our night skies pristine. 

Landscape Lighting Makes All The Difference

At Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah, the art of outdoor illumination is a real passion we work to perfect. Designing elegantly bespoke landscape lighting systems is simply all we do. For over 15 years, our award winning team of designers and craftsmen have striven to bring the best outdoor lighting experience possible to people’s homes and businesses across the Wasatch Front & beyond. 

Located in Midvale, Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah installs, maintains, and repairs lighting systems throughout Utah’s residential areas, including Salt Lake City, Park City, Draper, Davis, and Utah Counties.

If you have an upcoming project you’d like help with, call (801)440-7647 for more information, schedule a free consultation, or feel free to simply fill out a contact form on our website.