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A1656
ASSEMBLY, No. 1656
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MITCHELLE DRULIS
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblyman ROY FREIMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Swain, Speight and Collazos-Gill
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires outdoor lighting fixtures installed or
replaced by, or on behalf of State, or at projects receiving State funds, to
meet certain criteria.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning certain outdoor lighting fixtures and
supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� As used in this act:
���� "Backlight, uplight, and
glare rating," or "BUG rating" means a rating assigned to a
luminaire, using criteria developed by the Illuminating Engineering Society,
where the light emitted behind the desired direction of illumination ("backlight"),
upward ("uplight"), and in a slant angle causing glare
("glare") from the luminaire are rated from 0 (desirable) to 5
(worst).
���� "Energy
conservation" means the reduction of energy costs and resources by use of
methods including, but not limited to, the use of light fixtures with the
lowest feasible wattage or a photo-sensitive, motion detecting, or timer
switch.
���� "Full cutoff
fixture" means a luminaire whose luminous intensity in candelas at or
above an angle of 90 degrees above nadir is zero and the luminous intensity, in
candelas, at or above a vertical angle of 80 degrees above nadir does not
numerically exceed two percent of the luminous flux of the lamp or lamps in the
luminaire.
���� "Fully shielded
luminaire" means a luminaire that allows no direct light emissions above a
horizontal plane through the lowest light-emitting part of the luminaire.
���� "Glare" means direct
light emitting from a luminaire that is significantly greater than luminance to
which the eyes are adapted, and which causes reduced vision or momentary
blindness.
���� "Illuminance" means
the unit measure of light at a surface.
���� "Lamp" means the
component of a luminaire that produces the specific form of radiant energy that
is observed as light.
���� "Light trespass"
means light emitted by a luminaire that shines beyond the boundaries of the
property on which the luminaire is located.
���� "Lumen" means an
international standard unit of luminous flux representing the quantity of
visible light output.
���� "Luminaire" means
the complete lighting unit fixture consisting of a lamp, or lamps and ballasts,
together with the parts designed to distribute light, including, but not
limited to, a reflector, lens, and diffuser, to position and protect the lamps,
and to connect the lamps to the power supply.
���� "Luminous flux"
means the measure of the perceived power of the light in lumens.
���� "Outdoor lighting
fixture" means any type of fixed or movable lighting equipment that is
designed or used for illumination outdoors. "Outdoor lighting
fixture" shall not include lighting equipment that is required by law to
be installed on motor vehicles, or lighting required for the safe operation of
aircraft or installed at an aviation facility.
���� "Project" means the
acquisition, construction, improvement, reconstruction, or repair of all or
part of any building, facility, structure, or real property.
���� "State agency" means
any of the principal departments in the Executive Branch of State Government,
any division, board, bureau, office, commission, or other instrumentality
created by a principal department, and any independent State authority,
commission, instrumentality, or agency established by law.
����� 2.�� a.�
Commencing on the effective date of this act, an outdoor lighting fixture
installed or replaced by, or on behalf of, a State agency, or as part of a
project that receives funds from a State agency, shall comply with the
following specifications:
����� (1)
the luminaire shall be a fully shielded luminaire, be equipped with a full
cutoff fixture, emit no more than two percent of its total lumen output above
80 degrees from nadir, and have a BUG rating of U0;
����� (2)
the outdoor lighting fixture shall emit only as much light as necessary for the
intended purpose and shall not exceed the minimum illuminance level recommended
for that purpose by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America or
the Federal Highway Administration;
����� (3)
an outdoor lighting fixture used to illuminate sports fields shall� be turned
off when not in use;
����� (4)
full consideration has been given to energy conservation, and reducing glare,
minimizing light trespass and light pollution, and preserving the natural night
environment and public health;
����� (5)
the correlated color temperature of an outdoor lighting fixture shall be no
more than 2,700 Kelvin, except that:
����� (a)
a luminaire within direct line-of-sight to areas seaward of a frontal dune or
within close proximity to a nature preserve shall emit no radiant energy with a
wavelength of less than 560 nanometers;
����� (b)
the maximum correlated color temperature for outdoor sports lighting shall be
the lowest possible for the sport, class of play, and viewing audience, but
shall not exceed 4,200 Kelvin; and
����� (c)
luminaires used specifically for the decoration of facades or landscapes may
have a correlated color temperature in excess of 2,700 Kelvin; and
����� (6)
the outdoor
lighting fixture shall use a motion sensor device that automatically turns on,
dims, or turns off the light, as appropriate.
����� b.�
The provisions of subsection a. of this section shall not apply in the
following circumstances:
����� (1)� the
outdoor lighting fixture is used on a temporary basis because emergency
personnel require additional illumination for emergency procedures;
����� (2)� the
outdoor lighting fixture is used on a temporary basis for nighttime work;
����� (3)� a
compelling safety interest exists that cannot be addressed by another method;
or
����� (4)� the
outdoor lighting fixture is located in a
high-security area, as designated by the New Jersey Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness and the New Jersey State Police.
����� c.�
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, in the case of
outdoor lighting fixtures installed along any roadway in the State, the
Department of Transportation shall assess whether the purpose of the outdoor
lighting fixture can be achieved by the installation of reflective road
markers, lines, warning or informational signs, or other effective passive
methods in lieu of the installation of outdoor lighting fixtures.
����� d.�
The
Division
of Property Management and Construction shall collaborate with the Board of
Public Utilities to ensure uniformity in lighting specifications for
State-owned buildings and any funding and rebates available to State-owned
buildings under the State Facilities Initiative.
���� e.�
The State Treasurer shall provide guidance to every
State agency concerning the requirements of this act.
���� 3.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any other law, or rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, to
the contrary, the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property in the
Department of the Treasury, the Director of the Division of Property Management
and Construction in the Department of the Treasury, or any State agency having
authority to contract for the purchase of goods or services, shall comply with
the requirements of this act.
���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of
enactment.
STATEMENT
����
This bill would require outdoor lighting fixtures installed
or replaced by, or on behalf of, a State agency, or at projects receiving
public moneys from a State agency, to meet certain criteria in order to reduce
light pollution.
����� The bill would require outdoor lighting fixtures
installed or replaced by, or on behalf of, a State agency, or as part of a
project that receives funds from a State agency, to comply with the following:
(1) the luminaire is a fully shielded luminaire and a full cutoff fixture with
a backlight, uplight, and glare (BUG) rating of U0, as those terms are defined
by the bill; (2) the outdoor lighting fixture emits only as much light as
necessary for the intended purpose and does not exceed the minimum illuminance
level recommended for that purpose by the Illuminating Engineering Society of
North America or the Federal Highway Administration; (3) an outdoor lighting
fixture used to illuminate sports fields are turned off when not in use; (4)
full consideration has been given to energy conservation, reducing glare,
minimizing light trespass and light pollution, and preserving the natural night
environment and public health; (5) the correlated color temperature of the
outdoor lighting fixture is no more than 2,700 Kelvin, with certain exceptions;
and (6) the outdoor lighting fixture has a motion sensor device that turns on,
dims, and turns off the light as appropriate.
����� The bill would not apply if: the outdoor lighting
fixture is used on a temporary basis because emergency personnel require
additional illumination for emergency procedures; the outdoor lighting fixture
is used on a temporary basis for nighttime work; a compelling safety interest
exists that cannot be addressed by another method; or the outdoor lighting
fixture is located in a high-security area.
����� In addition, in the case of outdoor lighting fixtures
installed along roadways, the bill requires the Department of Transportation to
assess whether the purpose of the outdoor lighting fixture can be achieved by
the installation of reflective road markers, lines, warning or informational
signs, or other effective passive methods in lieu of the installation of
outdoor lighting fixtures.� The provisions of the bill would take effect on the
first day of the third month after the bill is enacted.