July 1, 2025 for all lighting

(Except commercial sign lighting. Sign lighting, specifically for the curfew requirement, has a compliance date of February 13, 2033.)

Dark Sky International Guidelines mandate a 10-year amortization period based on lighting expert opinions, including the authors of the model ordinance, that most outdoor lighting will be fully depreciated at the end of 10 years (if not sooner).

The majority of jurisdictions in Colorado that have adopted Dark Sky Ordinances have adopted a 5-15 year amortization period to allow owners time for recoupment of the actual investment of the nonconforming structure.  The Town originally adopted a 15-year conformance date and extended the deadline another 2 years to July 1, 2025.

Yes, please send the photo, link, or cutsheet to Town staff for confirmation of the selected fixtures prior to purchase for compliance confirmation. Please email lighting@townofbreckenridge.com or call 970-453-3153.

Yes, please contact us after you have replaced or retrofitted your fixtures for Town staff to verify compliance.

Bulbs are regulated by 1) wattage and 2) correlated color temperature (Kelvin).  

WATTAGE:

a. LED: Permitted at a maximum of nine hundred fifty (950) emitted lumens per fixture.

b. Fluorescent: Must be ENERGY STAR rated with adequate cold rating, permitted at a maximum of fifteen watts (15 W) per fixture.

c. Incandescent: Permitted on building mounted or signage fixtures at a maximum of sixty watts (60 W) per fixture.

d. All Other Lamp Types: Must be ENERGY STAR rated and shall not exceed nine hundred fifty (950) emitted lumens per fixture.

CORRELATED COLOR TEMPURATURE (KELVIN):

Light sources may not exceed 3,000 Kelvin.

(Alternative bulb types may be allowed as required by the Illuminating Engineering Society for sporting fields and some commercial uses)

An acceptable retrofitted fixture must have a permanent opaque application to it which extends to the lowest portion of the bulb or lower, or other permanent modification to the fixture approved by the Town staff that brings such fixture and light source into compliance with the requirements of this section. *Please discuss with Town staff if proposing a retrofit solution.

Acceptable example: A typical acceptable retrofit includes metal welded to the inside or outside of the fixture extending below the bulb location.

Not acceptable examples: Temporary metal shields and cones which come in and out of the fixture with the bulb are not a permanent solution. Also, painting the inside of the fixture a dark color is not a permanent solution as paint chips and can be removed easily.

The Dark Sky approval seal does not necessarily mean that the fixture also meets Town Code. Please send a photo or cutsheet to the Town staff for confirmation that your selected fixture will meet Town Code. Please email lighting@townofbreckenridge.com or call 970-453-3153.

Not at the moment, that is something we are working on. In the meantime, most lighting websites allow you to sort by Dark Sky certified fixtures and DarkSky International has a database of approved fixtures that you can access here: https://darksky.org/what-we-do/darksky-approved/products-companies/. Please keep in mind that Dark Sky certified does not necessarily guarantee the fixture meets Town Code.

Email lighting@townofbreckenridge.com or call 970-453-3153.

An electrical permit and Class D Minor permit for lighting compliance is required for:

1. Relocating a fixture
2. Adding a fixture
3. Removing a fixture (capping electrical wires)
4. New construction projects

A permit is not required for replacing a fixture in the same location.

A recycling program is being developed to recycle metal fixtures. The website will be updated when the program has been developed.

Most light bulb types cannot be recycled locally. Metal halide bulbs can be recycled at the Summit County Landfill-Recycling Center. For more information on the Landfill: https://www.summitcountyco.gov/services/public_works/landfill_recycling/index.php

Glass can be recycled at the recycling center at (284 Coyne Valley Road, Breckenridge) or anywhere that accepts glass.

Temporary bistro lighting is permitted at an exterior food and beverage area designated by the site plan to provide light and ambiance in Lighting Zones 1 and 2. Bistro lighting is allowed for residential properties up to 150 square feet over a deck or patio in all zones. The term "temporary" as used in this section means from May 1 through October 31 of the same year. At all other times bistro lighting is unlawful. The following standards shall apply to temporary bistro lighting:

a. Be used only with "warm" color LED bulbs that do not exceed a temperature of two thousand eight hundred kelvins (2,800 K);

b. Be fully shielded and downcast;

c. For commercial uses all bistro lighting shall not be highly visible from the right-of-way when located on a rooftop (e.g., rooftop deck screened on a minimum of two (2) sides by wall, adjacent buildings, etc.), and must be set back a minimum of 5 feet from the rooftop edge.

Decorative (e.g. holiday) string lighting, consisting of bulbs no larger than three inches, that outlines a building or structure following the trim line on an eave, window or railing; or decorative string lighting in trees; or decorative string lighting between commercial or mixed use buildings or to a post or structure forming a canopy over a walkway. Decorative lighting does not fill in building features such as walls and roofs.

Be allowed in all lighting zones from November 1 through April 1 of the following year. At all other times decorative lighting is unlawful.

2. Be limited to two (2) of the following features:

a. The building roof eave line;

b. The building window trim;

c. Building columns; or

d. Railings.

3. Not protrude from the upper wall plane or the roof of a structure or fill in such features on a structure. Lighting on a building shall be in a singular strand along the eaves, window trim or railings.

4. Not exceed 3 inches in size.

5. Consist of LED bulbs (soft color encouraged)

6. Not blink or rotate, nor create a hazard or nuisance from glare. Decorative lighting shall be maintained in good working condition at all times.

7. Commercial uses in Lighting Zone 1 has a curfew of two o'clock (2:00) A.M. All other decorative lighting has a curfew of eleven o'clock (11:00) P.M.

Yes, the Town will be replacing all of the Town owned Welsbach fixtures with Providence fixtures within the next 5 years (both pictured below). Replacement work started summer 2024. However, some streetlights not owned or controlled by the Town and are owned by Xcel. The Town is currently in discussions with Xcel to have the non-compliant fixtures on those poles replaced and will continue to do so.