Understanding Liberty Hill's Dark Skies Ordinance and Its Impact on Property Owners
Think your home is your castle? Liberty Hill’s new Dark Skies Ordinance might make you reconsider.
This controversial new regulation puts homeowners and businesses at risk of hefty fines and criminal charges for ordinary lighting choices you probably make every day. From porch lights to holiday decorations, your property and your wallet are now under scrutiny like never before.
Everyday Actions Now Criminalized
Residents might unknowingly face severe penalties for:
- Installing porch lights that don’t meet specific technical standards.
- Replacing backyard floodlights to enhance security.
- Using common holiday string lights from local stores.
- Forgetting to unplug seasonal decorations during the holidays.
These seemingly innocent actions could lead to hefty fines or even misdemeanor charges.
Compliance Challenges and Considerations
The ordinance itself is a maze of confusing technical jargon, including:
- Kelvin ratings (color temperature restrictions)
- Lumen limits (brightness restrictions)
- Shielding requirements (light direction restrictions)
- The vague and subjective concept of “light trespass”
Unless you have advanced knowledge in lighting engineering, electrical systems, or architecture, compliance is a daunting and expensive challenge.
Resident Compliance Checklist
Check your risk of violation:
Outdoor Lighting:
- Lights must be fully shielded.
- No light can shine onto neighboring properties or upward.
- Avoid using drop-lens fixtures, mercury vapor lamps, strobe/blinking lights, and searchlights.
- Stay below the total brightness limit of 25,000 lumens per acre.
- Ensure color temperature doesn’t exceed 2700 Kelvin.
Flagpole Lighting:
- Must meet lumen and directional restrictions.
Seasonal or Decorative Lighting:
- Operate holiday lighting no longer than 60 days per year.
- Use only between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
- Keep brightness under 50 lumens per linear foot.
- No flashing or blinking lights for commercial properties.
Ignoring City Notices:
- Submit a lighting compliance plan within 30 days of notice.
- Bring lighting into compliance within 60 days after warning.
Advocating for Property Rights
Protecting the night sky is important, but this ordinance goes too far, infringing upon property rights and
personal freedoms.
It’s essential to push back against these overly stringent regulations. Support candidates committed to
reforming this ordinance by:
- Decriminalizing lighting violations.
Making compliance voluntary, not mandatory. - Protecting individual property rights and personal freedoms.
Your voice matters.
Support common-sense solutions to keep Liberty Hill a fair place to live.