Night Sky Protection Act, HB 39, 1999

Talavera Community Association

We have quite a few newcomers to the Talavera Area that are not aware of the efforts area residents have made in keeping our night skies dark. Note, we have no street lights. In addition, most residents follow the rule in shielding downward all outside lighting. The following is an excerpt from the Night Sky Protect Act HB 39 (1999):

PURPOSE.–The purpose of the Night Sky Protection Act is to regulate outdoor night lighting fixtures to preserve and enhance the state’s dark sky while promoting safety, conserving energy and preserving the environment for astronomy.

A. “outdoor lighting fixture” means an outdoor artificial illuminating device, whether permanent or portable, used for illumination or advertisement, including searchlights, spotlights and floodlights, whether for architectural lighting, parking lot lighting, landscape lighting, billboards or street lighting; and

B. “shielded” means a fixture that is shielded in such a manner that light rays emitted by the fixture, either directly from the lamp or indirectly from the fixture, are projected below a horizontal plane running through the lowest point on the fixture where light is emitted.

Our neighborhood is dark for all to enjoy the beautiful night sky. There are some exceptions to the above excerpt and are available for your perusal here and HB 362 (2009) an amendment regarding enforcement here.