EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0452*
HOUSE BILL 452
M3, M5, E4 5lr0640
HB 305/24 – ENT CF 5lr1116
By: Delegates Guyton, Wilkins, Kaiser, Lehman, Patterson, Ruth, Stonko, and
Wolek
Introduced and read first time: January 16, 2025
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 5, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Outdoor Lighting – Guidance and Use of State Funds 2
FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Green Building Council, on or before a certain 3
date, to update or develop guidance for the purchase of outdoor lighting fixtures in 4
consideration of certain recommendations; prohibiting State funds from being used 5
to install or replace certain permanent outdoor luminaires for lighting unless certain 6
requirements are met; altering the requirements for the use of State funds for the 7
installation or replacement of certain permanent outdoor luminaires for lighting; 8
authorizing the Board of Public Works, or the Board’s designee, to waive a 9
requirement for the use of State funds for the installation or replacement of certain 10
permanent outdoor luminaires under certain circumstances; requiring the 11
Department of Transportation to conduct a certain review; and generally relating to 12
outdoor lighting. 13
BY adding to 14
Article – Public Safety 15
Section 12–1301 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 13. Outdoor Lighting 16
Guidance” 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
Article – State Finance and Procurement 21
Section 14–412 22 2 HOUSE BILL 452
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 2
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 3
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 4
Article – Public Safety 5
SUBTITLE 13. OUTDOOR LIGHTING GUIDANCE. 6
12–1301. 7
(A) ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2026, THE MARYLAND GREEN BUILDING 8
COUNCIL SHALL UPDATE OR DEVELOP GUIDANCE FOR THE PURCHASE OF O UTDOOR 9
LIGHTING FIXTURES IN CONSIDERATION OF REC OMMENDATIONS REGARDI NG LIGHT 10
POLLUTION AND COLOR TEMPERATURE PUBLISHE D BY THE AMERICAN MEDICAL 11
ASSOCIATION. 12
(B) THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY 13
GUIDELINES UPDATED OR DEVELOPED UNDER S UBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION. 14
Article – State Finance and Procurement 15
14–412. 16
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 17
(2) “Lamp” means the component of a luminaire that produces the light. 18
(3) “Lumen” means a unit of measurement of luminous flux. 19
(4) “Luminaire” means the complete lighting unit, including the lamp or 20
other component that produces light and the assembly that holds the lamp, including an 21
assembly housing, a mounting bracket or pole socket, a lamp holder, a ballast, a reflector 22
or mirror, and a refractor or lens. 23
(5) “Restricted uplight luminaire” means a luminaire that: 24
(i) except for a 0.5% maximum incidental uplight from reflection off 25
mounting hardware, allows no direct light emission above a horizontal plane through the 26
luminaire’s lowest light–emitting part; and 27
(ii) emits no more than 10% of the total direct light emission at or 28
above a vertical angle of 80 degrees. 29
HOUSE BILL 452 3
(6) “State building” means a building owned or leased by the State or a unit 1
of the State. 2
(b) This section does not apply to a luminaire: 3
(1) located on the grounds of a correctional facility; 4
(2) required by federal regulation; 5
(3) required for storm operation activities performed by the Department of 6
Transportation; 7
(4) required to illuminate the State flag or the flag of the United States; 8
(5) used for sign illumination; [or] 9
(6) in a lighting plan where less than 25% of the luminaires are to be 10
replaced; OR 11
(7) USED TO ILLUMINATE THE FI ELD OF PLAY AT A SPO RTS FACILITY. 12
(c) State funds may not be used to install or replace a permanent outdoor 13
luminaire for lighting on the grounds of any State building [or], facility, PARK, OR TRAIL 14
unless: 15
(1) the luminaire is designed to maximize energy conservation and to 16
minimize light pollution, glare, and light trespass; 17
(2) EXCEPT FOR A LUMINAI RE INSTALLED OR REPL ACED BY THE 18
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION , THE LUMINAIRE HAS A CORRELATED LIGHT 19
TEMPERATURE THAT IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 3,000 KELVINS; 20
(3) the illumination produced by the luminaire is the minimum 21
illumination necessary for the intended purpose of the lighting; and 22
[(3)] (4) for a luminaire with an output of more than 1,800 lumens, the 23
luminaire is a restricted uplight luminaire. 24
(d) (1) The Board of Public Works or the Board’s designee may waive the 25
[requirement] REQUIREMENTS of subsection [(c)(3)] (C)(2) OR (4) of this section if, after 26
a request for a waiver has been made, the Board of Public Works or the Board’s designee 27
determines that the waiver is necessary for the lighting application. 28
(2) The Board of Public Works shall establish the requirements for a waiver 29
request under paragraph (1) of this subsection, including: 30
4 HOUSE BILL 452
(i) a description of the lighting plan; 1
(ii) a description of the efforts made to comply with the requirements 2
of this section; and 3
(iii) the reason a waiver is necessary. 4
(3) In reviewing a waiver request, the Board of Public Works or the Board’s 5
designee shall consider design safety, costs, and any other factors the Board or the Board’s 6
designee determines are appropriate. 7
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before September 30, 8
2026, the Department of Transportation shall conduct a review of highway lighting 9
practices and, where applicable, consider alterations to current State practices that are 10
inconsistent with the guidelines established in the most recent edition of the Federal 11
Highway Administration’s Lighting Handbook. 12
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall be construed to 13
apply only prospectively and may not be applied to or interpreted to have any effect on or 14
application to the purchase of any outdoor lighting fixtures for a project for which the design 15
phase has been completed before the effective date of any guidance published in accordance 16
with § 12–1301 of the Public Safety Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act. 17
SECTION 3. 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 18
October 1, 2025. 19
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.