Recommended Light Levels for Exterior Spaces

Select the application:

Lighting Units:
Illuminance (E) = lux, footcandle
Luminance (L) = Candela/m2 or Candela/ft2
Lux = Lumen/m2
Footcandle = Lumen/ft2
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Light Trespass
The following recommended levels of illuminance are suggested from the report Light Trespass Research (Light Trespass Research, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA and Lighting Research Institute: 2000. TR-114914).  The specific illuminance levels are measured at the observers' eye in a plane perpendicular to the line of sight.  (See RP-33-99 Lighting for Exterior Environments for details)
Zone Zone Description Pre-Curfew Post-Curfew
E1 Intrinsically Dark - national parks, residential areas where inhabitants have expressed a strong desire that light trespass be strictly limited 1 lux (0.1 fc)
  • 0 for systems not intended for public safety or security.
  • 1 lux (0.1 fc) otherwise
E2 Low Ambient Brightness - outer urban and rural residential areas 3 lux (0.3 fc) 1 lux (0.1 fc)
E3 Medium Ambient Brightness - urban residential areas 8 lux (0.8 fc) 2 lux (0.2 fc)
E4 High Ambient Brightness - urban areas with high levels of night time activity 15 lux (1.5 fc) 6 lux (0.6 fc)
These recommended levels assume the affected luminaires are continuously on during the subject night time period.
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Outdoor Merchandising
Recommended Illuminances for Outdoor Merchandising:
(See RP-2-01 for details)
Application Area Maintained Illuminance - lux (fc)
When Illuminance of Surrounding Area is:
HIGH MEDIUM LOW
Seasonal Outdoor Merchandise Circulation 100 (10) 70 (7) 50 (5)
Merchandise 300 (30) 200 (20) 100 (10)
Feature Displays 600 (60) 400 (40) 200 (20)
Auto Dealerships Circulation 100 (10) 70 (7) 50 (5)
Merchandise 500 (50) 300 (30) 200 (20)
Feature Displays 750 (75) 500 (50) 350 (35)
Service Stations Approach 150 (15) 100 (10) 50 (5)
Gas Islands 500 (50) 300 (30) 200 (20)
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Car Dealerships
(See RP-33-99 Lighting for Exterior Environments for details)
Area Maximum Illuminance on Pavement - lux (fc) Max-to-Min Ratio
Main Business Districts
Adjacent to Roadway 100-200 (10-20) 5:1
Other Rows 50-100 (5-10) 10:1
Entrances 50-100 (5-10) 5:1
Driveways 20-30 (2-3) 10:1
Secondary Business Districts and Small Towns
Adjacent to Roadway 50-100 (5-10) 5:1
Other Rows 25-50 (2.5-5) 10:1
Entrances 25-50 (2.5-5) 5:1
Driveways 10-20 (1-2) 10:1
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Floodlighting Buildings and Monuments
(See RP-33-99 Lighting for Exterior Environments for details)
Description of Site Average
Vertical Illuminance
lux (fc)
Surface Surroundings
Light Bright 50 (5)
Medium Bright 70 (7)
Dark Bright 100 (10)
Light Dark 20 (2)
Medium-to-Light Dark 30 (3)
Medium-to-Dark Dark 40 (4)
Dark Dark 50 (5)
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Intersections
Recommended Average Maintained Illuminance at the pavement - lux (fc)
(See RP-8-00 for details)
Average Maintained Illuminance by Pedestrian Conflict Area - lux (fc) Uniformity
Intersection Type High Medium Low E avg /E min
Major / Major 34.0 (3.4) 26.0 (2.6) 18.0 (1.8) 3.0
Major / Collector 29.0 (2.9) 22.0 (2.2) 15.0 (1.5) 3.0
Major / Local 26.0 (2.6) 20.0 (2.0) 13.0 (1.3) 3.0
Collector / Collector 24.0 (2.4) 18.0 (1.8) 12.0 (1.2) 4.0
Collector / Local 21.0 (2.1) 16.0 (1.6) 10.0 (1.0) 4.0
Local / Local 18.0 (1.8) 14.0 (1.4) 8.0 (0.8) 6.0
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Parking Facilities
Parking Lots:  
(See RP-20-98 & LM-64-01 for details)
Basic1
lux (fc)		  Enhanced Security2 
lux (fc)
Minimum Maintained Horizontal Illuminance3  2  (0.2) 5  (0.5)
Maximum Maximum-to-Minimum Ratio 20:1 15:1
Minimum Maintained Vertical Illuminance5 1  (0.1) 2.5 4  (0.25)
1 = Typical conditions
2 = Where personal security or vandalism is a likely or severe problem.
3 = Measured on the parking surface without any shadowing effect at the points of measurement.
4 = Facial recognition can be made at 2.5 lux. 5.0 lux is recommended for facial identification.
5 = Measured 1.5m above parking surface at point of lowest horizontal illuminance (not including points on the boundaries facing outward.)
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Parking Garages:
(See RP-20-98 & LM-64-01 for details)            Click here for applications examples, and info on LEDs
Area   Minimum
Horizontal Illuminance2
lux (fc)		 Maximum
Max-to-Min
Ratio		 Minimum
Vertical Illuminance3
lux (fc)
Basic1   10 (1.0) 10:1 5 (0.5)
Ramps4 Day5 20 (2.0) 10:1 10 (1.0)
Night 10 (1.0) 10:1 5 (0.5)
Entrance
Areas		 Day5 500 (50)   250 (25)
Night 10 (1.0) 10:1 5 (0.5)
Stairways   20 (2.0)   10 (1.0)
1 = Typical conditions
2 = Measured on the parking surface without any shadowing effects.
3 = Measured 1.5m above parking surface at point of lowest horizontal illuminance (not including points on the boundaries facing outward.)
4 = Applies to clearway ramps (no adjacent parking) but not to sloping floor designs.
5 = Daylight may be considered in the design calculation.
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Pedestrian Ways
Recommended Maintained Illuminance Levels:
(See RP-33-99 Lighting for Exterior Environments for details)
Application Minimum Avg. Horizontal
Illuminance at Pavement Level
lux (fc)		 Average Vertical Illuminance
1.8 m (6') Above Walkway
lux (fc)
Roadside Walkways and Type A Bikeways
Commercial Areas 10 (1) 20 (2)
Intermediate Areas 5 (0.5) 10 (1)
Residential Areas 2 (0.2) 5 (0.5)
Walkways Away from Roadside and Type B Bikeways
Walkways & Bikeways 5 (0.5) 5 (0.5)
Pedestrian Stairways 5 (0.5) 10 (1)
Pedestrian Tunnels 20 (2) 55 (5)
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Roadways
Illuminance Method: - Recommended Minimum Maintained Average    lux (fc)
(See RP-8-00 for details)
Application Pavement Classification Uniformity
Illuminance		  Veiling
   Luminance   
Ratio
Roadway Type Pedestrian Conflict Area R1 R2/R3 R4 E avg /E min LV max /L avg
Freeway
Class A		   6 (0.6) 9 (0.9) 8 (0.8) 3.0 0.3
Freeway
Class B		   4 (0.4) 6 (0.6) 5 (0.5) 3.0 0.3
Expressway High 10 (1) 14 (1.4) 13 (1.3) 3.0 0.3
Medium 8 (0.8) 12 (1.2) 10 (1) 3.0 0.3
Low 6 (0.6) 9 (0.9) 8 (0.8) 3.0 0.3
Major High 12 (1.2) 17 (1.7) 15 (1.5) 3.0 0.3
Medium 9 (0.9) 13.0 (1.3) 11.0 (1.1) 3.0 0.3
Low 6.0 (0.6) 9.0 (0.9) 8.0 (0.8) 3.0 0.3
Collector High 8.0 (0.8) 12.0 (1.2) 10.0 (1.0) 4.0 0.4
Medium 6.0 (0.6) 9.0 (0.9) 8.0 (0.8) 4.0 0.4
Low 4.0 (0.4) 6.0 (0.6) 5.0 (0.5) 4.0 0.4
Local High 6.0 (0.6) 9.0 (0.9) 8.0 (0.8) 6.0 0.4
Medium 5.0 (0.5) 7.0 (0.7) 6.0 (0.6) 6.0 0.4
Low 3.0 (0.3) 4.0 (0.4) 4.0 (0.4) 6.0 0.4
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Luminance Method:
(See RP-8-00 for details)
Application Average
Luminance		 Maximum
Avg to Min
Allowed		 Maximum
Max to Min
Allowed		  Veiling
   Luminance   
Ratio
Roadway Type Pedestrian Conflict Area L avg (cd/m2) L avg /L min L max /L min LV max /L avg
Freeway Class A   0.6 3.5 6.0 0.3
Freeway Class B   0.4 3.5 6.0 0.3
Expressway High 1.0 3.0 5.0 0.3
Medium 0.8 3.0 5.0 0.3
Low 0.6 3.5 6.0 0.3
Major High 1.2 3.0 5.0 0.3
Medium 0.9 3.0 5.0 0.3
Low 0.6 3.5 6.0 0.3
Collector High 0.8 3.0 5.0 0.4
Medium 0.6 3.5 6.0 0.4
Low 0.4 4.0 8.0 0.4
Local High 0.6 6.0 10.0 0.4
Medium 0.5 6.0 10.0 0.4
Low 0.3 6.0 10.0 0.4
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Small Target Visibility
- Recommended Values
Table based on a 60 year old driver with normal vision, an 18 cm2  target,  50% reflectance, 0.2 second fixation time.
(See RP-8-00 for details)
Application STV Criteria Luminance Criteria
Roadway Type Pedestrian Conflict Area Weighting Average VL Lavg  cd/m2  Median
< 7.3m		 L avg *  cd/m2
Median
≥ 7.3m		 Maximum
Max-to-Min
Allowed
Freeway Class A   3.2 0.5 0.4 6.0
Freeway Class B   2.6 0.4 0.3 6.0
Expressway   3.8 0.5 0.4 6.0
Major High 4.9 1.0 0.8 6.0
Medium 4.0 0.8 0.7 6.0
Low 3.2 0.6 0.6 6.0
Collector High 3.8 0.6 0.5 6.0
Medium 3.2 0.5 0.4 6.0
Low 2.7 0.4 0.4 6.0
Local High 2.7 0.5 0.4 10.0
Medium 2.2 0.4 0.3 10.0
Low 1.6 0.3 0.3 10.0
This column also applies to freeways and expressways where the alignment at the two roadways is independent of each other or where there is a median barrier sufficient to block the direct view of oncoming headlights or a one way street.

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Security Locations/Tasks
Recommended Illuminances in lux (divide by 10 for fc).
(See G-1-03 for details)
Application Task Average Horizontal Illuminance Vertical Illuminance Avg-to-Min Ratio Footnotes
ATMs & Night Depositories (Exterior) Face of ATM   150 3:1 d,e,f
Within 10' of ATM 100 a  
Between 10' and 50' from ATM 20 a 3:1
Supported Parking 20 a 3:1
Side of Building out to 40' when ATM is within 10' of corner 20   3:1
Building Facades   5-20 8:1  
Building Interiors (Unoccupied patrol areas) 10   6:1  
Convenience Stores and Gas Stations Pump Island 60 a 4:1  
Sidewalks, refuse areas and grounds 30 a 4:1  
Interior of store 300 a 4:1  
Facial Identification   5-8 4:1  
Fast Food Restaurants General Parking 30 a 3:1  
Drive-up window out to 30' 60 a 3:1  
Refuse area 30 a 3:1  
Guarded Facilities Entrances and Gatehouse inspection 100 a 3:1 b
Guardhouse Interior       c
Hotels and Motels General parking 30 a 4:1  
Sidewalks and grounds 10 a 4:1  
Law Enforcement, Fire, Ambulance and other Emergency Service Facilities Within 60' of all vehicle and pedestrian movement areas 80 a 3:1  
General parking and walkways 30 a 3:1  
Parking Facilities, Garages and Covered Parking Spaces On Pavement 60 a 4:1  
Gathering Points (stairs, elevators, ramps) 50 a 4:1  
Parking Garages For the Elderly Entrance 500 a   i
Exterior walkways around senior facilities 50 a   l
Parking Lots, Areas for Public Parks Open parking spaces 30 a 4:1  
Park trails and walkways 6 a 4:1 j
Likely loitering areas 10 a 4:1  
Residence, Single Family Exterior Doorways   8    
Residence, Multi-family Common areas 30 a 4:1  
Common mailbox areas 100 a 4:1  
Schools and Institutions General parking 30 a 4:1 l
Sidewalks and footpaths 10 a 4:1 l
Supermarket, Major Retail Parking Parking lot 30 a 4:1  
Low activity - close-in parking 50 a 4:1 k
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Notes for previous table.
Identifier Note
a Vertical illuminance of 5 to 8 lux or values that produce a uniformity ratio of no more than 4:1 (25% of horizontal illuminance).
b Horizontal illuminance should be as shown or twice that of immediate surrounding area, whichever is greater
c Interior illuminance should be minimum recommended for specific task performance
d Redundant lamps so loss of any one lamp will not reduce lighting levels below minimum
e Good to excellent facial recognition required at a distance of 30'.
f Unobstructed view out to 50' in all directions from face of machine
i See IESNA RP-28, "Lighting and the Visual Environment for Senior Living"
j Lighting should extend out on both sides of trail to a distance of 30'
k Size of parking area determined by estimated customer count
l For special events, parking lots and grounds should be lit from 2 hours prior to the event through 2 hours after the event.
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Service Station Lighting
Recommended Average Illuminances for Service Stations:
(See RP-33-99 Lighting for Exterior Environments for details)
Description of Area Average Illuminance - lux (fc)
With Dark Surroundings With Light Surroundings
Approach 15 (1.5) 20 (2)
Driveway 15 (1.5) 20 (2)
Pump Island Area 50 (5) 100 (10)
Building Facades 20 (2) 30 (3)
Service Areas 20 (2) 30 (3)
Landscaping 10 (1) 20 (2)
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Walkways/Bikeways
(See IESNA RP-8-00)
Pedestrian Conflict Area Walkway/Bikeway Type E h
lux (fc)		 E vmin
lux (fc)		 E avg / E min
High Mixed Vehicle and Pedestrian 20.0 (2.0) 10.0 (1.0) 4.0
Pedestrian Only 10.0 (1.0) 5.0 (0.5) 4.0
Medium Pedestrian Areas 5.0 (0.5) 2.0 (0.2) 4.0
Low Rural/Semi-Rural Areas 2.0 (0.2) 0.6 (0.06) 10.0
Low Density Residential 3.0 (0.3) 0.8 (0.08) 6.0
Medium Density Residential 4.0 (0.4) 1.0 (0.1) 4.0
Underpasses Day 100.0 (10.0) 50.0 (5.0) 3.0
Night 40.0 (4.0) 20.0 (2.0) 3.0
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