Street Light Policy

STREET LIGHTS POLICY CITY OF BROOKHAVEN, GA

Adopted: January 23, 2018

Revised: December 2022

 1. INTRODUCTION:

This Policy is adopted by the City Council to be used in handling Street Lights requests. This policy is applicable to public streets only.  Residents and businesses living on private streets shall be responsible for installation, maintenance, and bill payment for their streetlights.  This policy explains the petition process, City Council approval, and establishment of streetlight districts.  The Street Light Policy is administered by the Public Works Department.

2.STREET LIGHT REQUESTS ARE CATEGORIZED IN FOUR TYPES:

A.  Existing Public Street – Overhead power (Existing Poles)

B.  Existing Public Street – Underground power (No Poles)

C.  Existing Private Street

D.  New Development (Public Roads)

E.  New Development (Private Roads)

A. Existing Public Street – Overhead power (Existing Poles)

Streetlights are installed on the existing power poles. The types of lights usually installed on two lane streets are 150-watt equivalent LED street light luminaries with automatic photoelectric controls that turn the lights on at dusk and off at dawn. The lights are installed on existing poles where possible and therefore, the spacing can vary; however, proper street illumination is maintained within limits recommended by the American National Standard for Roadway Lighting. Actual placement of the lights is determined by personnel of the Public Works Department working with representatives of the power company. Larger lights and/or closer spacing are used on streets wider than two lanes. A lighting layout drawing is sent to the local power company indicating the number of lights needed and their placement.

B. Existing Public Street – Underground power (No Poles)

Street light poles are not installed as part of the normal electric service. Therefore, the cost of the pole installation must be paid by homeowners or by the developer before the installation of lights can begin. The types of lights usually installed on two lane streets are 150-watt equivalent LED street light luminaries with automatic photoelectric controls that turn the lights on at dusk and off at dawn. The spacing can vary; however, proper street illumination is maintained within limits recommended by the American National Standard for Roadway Lighting. Actual placement of the lights is determined by personnel of the Public Works Department working with representatives of the power company. Larger lights and/or closer spacing are used on streets wider than two lanes. A lighting layout drawing is sent to the local power company indicating the number of lights needed and their placement. A representative of the power company will determine the installation costs and mail an invoice for this amount to a representative of the petitioners. The petitioners collect and mail the funding for the installation costs directly to the representative of the power company. The power company representative will notify the Public Works Department when the installation costs are paid.

C. Existing Private Street

Requests for streetlights on private streets are not handled by the Public Works Department.  Citizens will directly work with GA Power in coordinating streetlights on their streets.

D. New Development (Public Roads)

Installation of Street lights on new Developments with Public Roads is handled by the Developer.  Developer will provide a plat to GA Power and the Public Works Department for design and installation of Street lights, the determination of the annual streetlight per foot fee to be assessed to the adjacent parcels fronting the public road, and the establishment of the street light district.  GA Power will provide the city with an agreement of the monthly power and maintenance costs for the lights for determining the street light assessment fee and for city approval.  Street light poles are not installed as part of the normal electric service. Therefore, the cost of the pole installation must be paid by the developer before the installation of lights can begin.  Annual operating cost for providing street lighting is included the annual street light assessment on the property tax bill in accordance with Section 3n. below. 

E. New Development (Private Roads)

Installation of Street lights on new Developments with Private Roads is handled by the Developer.  Developer will provide the site plans to GA Power for design and installation of Street lights. Street light poles are not installed as part of the normal electric service. Therefore, the cost of the pole installation must be paid by the developer before the installation of lights can begin.  Annual operating cost for providing street lighting is billed through the property owner’s association or to the residents directly.  City is not involved in billing or paying for streetlights for new developments with private roads.

3. PETITION PROCESS:

Residents can initiate the request for streetlights to be installed on public streets by calling Public Works Department at (404) 637-0540.  The Department staff will explain the entire process and provide the options available based on the existing street condition.  Steps for the petition process are outlined below:

a.    Citizen call Public Works at (404) 637-0540
b.    Public Works (PW) Staff explain the process to the Citizen
c.    PW Staff perform research on final plats, City records and other available maps.  

d. PW Staff requests Georgia Power for street light initial design/layout and annual cost to have streetlights. 
e.    Field survey performed by GA Power personnel to determine proper street illumination and actual placement of the lights. 
f.    Once the final design is determined, GA Power will provide the city with a lighting agreement with the monthly cost for power and maintenance of the lights.
g.    PW Staff will determine the street light assessment rate (cost per frontage foot) for the proposed street(s) and prepare the final petition forms

h. PW Staff sends the final petition forms to the neighborhood representative.  The petition must be          
     signed by property owners of at least 51% of the total street-side footage for each street to be 
     lighted.  Only owners may sign, persons renting cannot sign this petition. All property, developed or 
     undeveloped—commercial or residential, is included and will be charged.

    No signature can be altered or removed from the petition after it has been submitted.  
i.  The completed original petition is to be mailed or dropped off to:

     City of Brookhaven
     Attention: Department of Public Works
     4362 Peachtree Road
     Brookhaven, GA 30319

The petition should include a note indicating the type of lights the petitioners want installed.
 j.  In order to insure 51% of the total front frontage is signed for, all signatures will be verified against  
     the tax records for ownership.  

k.  If multiple streets are involved in the petition, a separate sheet for    
     signatures is required for each street. 

l.   A public hearing in front of City Council is scheduled.  Signs are posted in the petition area, notifying 
     the property owners of the date and time.  The petition is presented to the Brookhaven City Council 
     with the PW recommendation.

m.  Once approved by City Council, GA Power is notified to install the streetlights per City 
      specifications.  The lights are normally installed 12 to 16 weeks after approval by the City Council.  If 
      the street has underground power and requires the installation of poles, the neighborhood must 
      submit payment to GA Power for the initial installation in accordance with Section 2B above before 
      installation can begin.

n.  Property owners are billed for a street light assessment on the following years' property tax invoice 
      based on street-side footage owned. In the case of a corner lot where both the front and side streets 
      are lighted, the assessment will be based on the total front footage plus any footage on the side   
      street in excess of one hundred fifty feet (150’). This charge will be paid along with property tax.  The 
      present annual charge normally ranges from $0.50 to $1.00 per assessed foot per year for     
      neighborhoods with overhead utilities and $0.75 to $2.00 per assessed foot per year for 
      neighborhoods with underground utilities.  This assessment rate could change if electricity costs 
      increase.
 

4. THE COST FOR STREET LIGHTS FOR OVERHEAD POWER

In areas with overhead utilities, streetlights are installed on the existing power poles. The types of lights usually installed on two lane streets are 150-watt high pressure sodium street light luminaries or 150-Watt equivalent LED street light luminaries with automatic photoelectric controls that turn the lights on at dusk and off at dawn. The lights are installed on existing poles where possible and therefore, the spacing can vary; however, proper street illumination is maintained within limits recommended by the American National Standard for Roadway Lighting. Actual placement of the lights is determined by personnel of this office working with representatives of the power company. Larger lights and/or closer spacing are used on streets wider than two lanes.

There is a cost associated with the installation of streetlights on existing overhead power poles.  The installation cost is assessed based on a per foot cost as amortized over a 10-year period.  In addition, there is an annual service charge assessed for those streetlights. This assessment is usually between $0.50 and 1.00 per assessed foot PER YEAR. In the case of a corner lot where both the front and side streets are lighted, the assessment will be based on the total front footage plus any footage on the side street in excess of one hundred fifty feet (150’). On corner lots where only the front street is lighted, there will be no charge for side footage in excess of one hundred fifty feet (150’). This annual assessment will be included on the owners’ property tax statement, and will be due at the time all other taxes are paid on the property.

5. THE COST FOR STREET LIGHTS FOR UNDERGROUND POWER

In areas with underground utilities, street light poles are not installed as part of the normal electric service. Therefore, the cost of the pole installation must be paid by homeowners or by the developer. The installation cost is assessed based on a per foot cost as amortized over a 10-year period.  The actual location and quantity of poles required will be determined by the City of Brookhaven Director of Public Works and the local power company. The installation cost is determined by the power company serving your area.

In addition to the cost for the installation of street light poles listed above, there is an annual power charge assessed for those streetlights. This assessment is usually between $0.75 and $2.00 per front footage per year. In the case of a corner lot where both the front and side streets are lighted, the assessment will be based on the total front footage plus any footage on the side street in excess of one hundred fifty feet (150’). On corner lots where only the side street is lighted, the assessment will be based on the side footage in excess of one hundred fifty feet (150’). This annual assessment will be included on the property owners’ tax statement, and will be due at the time all other taxes are paid on the property.

END