03/10/09 Bend
 
In this ‘You Ask, We Answer' Glen in Bend asks, " Why are Broken Top homeowners allowed to have upward facing lights along Mt Washington lighting up the trees around Broken Top entrances, and they had to change the upward facing lights lighting up the American Flag on the north end of the bypass because of our light pollution laws?"
 
The City of Bend does allow for some exemptions as follows:
 
From the Bend Code 10-10.23B
Exemptions:
(b) Residential decorative lighting and low wattage lighting used for yards and driveways that do not shine glare, emit direct illumination, or cast a shadow onto adjacent property.
 
(d) Up-lighting intended to highlight part of a building or landscaping provided that the light distribution from the fixture is effectively contained by an overhanging architectural element or landscaping element and do not shine beyond the intended target including into the night sky. Such containment elements may include but are not limited to awnings, dense shrubs or year-round dense evergreen tree canopies which will contain or limit illumination of the sky.
 
(h) U.S. flags displayed by top mounted lighting only. The illumination of all flags other than the U.S. flag shall be extinguished at the end of public business hours or by 10:00 PM which ever is later.
 
If you have a local question, email it to news@kohd.com