Bill > HB1579

This bill, effective July 1, 3000, establishes statewide requirements for outdoor light fixtures to combat light pollution, aiming to preserve Hawaii's dark night skies for cultural, scientific, and environmental reasons. Beginning July 1, 2027, new outdoor light fixtures must meet specific standards for backlighting, uplighting, and glare, with options including being on the DLC-LUNA list (DesignLights Consortium Light Usage for Night Applications Qualified Products List) or meeting criteria for color temperature, dimming capability, and shielding. Light fixtures must also be shielded to prevent light trespass and glare onto neighboring properties, and generally dimmed or extinguished by at least 75% during "curfew hours" (defined as 10:00 p.m. to sunrise for residential uses and for commercial users, with specific exceptions). Certain fixtures are exempt, such as open flame gas lamps, low-wattage holiday lights, and some advertising signs, with special, more stringent requirements for fixtures impacting turtle nesting habitats. Existing fixtures approved before June 30, 2026, are exempt, but replacements must comply, and airports, highways, and harbors must comply unless federal law dictates otherwise. The bill supplements county lighting ordinances, provided they are equally or more restrictive, and does not apply to counties with populations under 100,000. Importantly, Department of Education facilities have broad exemptions for fixtures planned or installed before July 1, 2027, or in design before that date, including those for school and public safety.