Avon Reminds Residents of its Dark Sky Preservation Initiative
The Town would like to remind residents of its “Dark Sky Preservation Initiative” to reduce offensive lighting sources and reduce light trespass beyond property lines.
As part of the “Dark Sky Preservation Initiative,” which is intended to help preserve Avon’s small town mountain character and the ability to view the stars against a dark sky, all outdoor lighting, including residential, must conform with the Town of Avon’s Outdoor Lighting Ordinance. These regulations include but are not limited to:
- The style, color and design of the fixtures shall be compatible with the overall design concept and use of materials for the building and site area.
- All lighting must be shielded so that the source of illumination is not visible from the property line in order to reduce glare and interference with boundary streets and adjacent properties. Light fixtures near adjacent property may require special shielding devices to prevent light trespass.
- All outdoor lighting shall conform with the definition for full cut-off fixtures with the light source downcast and fully shielded (see complete ordinance for exceptions).
If you have doubts as to whether your lights meet these specifications, Town staff would be happy to conduct a simple audit and guide you to compliance. The Community Development Department requires approval of any new fixtures to be installed.
Code enforcement is handled on a complaint-only basis. If you see lighting that is glaring, or not fully downcast, please contact the Community Development Department at (970) 748-4413 and report the address of the property or use this link to report online: https://avon.org/codeenforcement. Town staff will follow-up with an inspection of the property and proceed with enforcement if found to be non-compliant.