lighting zones

Prohibits the use of lighting sources in sea turtle nesting areas, mentioned in this ordinance.

Measures to reduce light pollution in the territory of national parks.

This regulation was adopted in 2012 and was at the beginning applied only in the Atacama, Antofagasta and Coquimbo regions (north). In 2023, new amendments were approved, extending this regulation to the entire national territory, including new technical requirements and the incorporation of biodiversity as an object of protection.

The purpose of this Regulation is to establish the conditions and tolerable limits of all factors that appear to degrade the astronomical quality of the sky over the areas surrounding the observatories.

Outdoor lighting, the installation and operation of stations and the establishment of industries, activities or services that produce atmospheric pollution, as well as other factors that prove degrading to the atmospheric quality of the observatories on the island of La Palma will be subject to the limitations established in this Law. Law 31/1988, of October 31, establishes a set of measures aimed at guaranteeing the notable quality of the observatories of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, following the recommendations of the International Astronomical Union. These measures determine certain limitations regarding outdoor lighting, the installation and operation of radio stations and the establishment of industries, activities that potentially pollute the atmosphere.

The amendments adopted in 2021 introduced measures to address light pollution, mainly with regard to the protection of insects, such as the prevention of light sources from becoming insect traps in the future.

This decree sets the technical requirements concerning the design and operation of exterior lighting installations intended to promote the safety of movement in public and private spaces, accent lighting light of heritage as defined in article L. 1 of the heritage code, of the built environment as well as parks and gardens, lighting of outdoor or discoverable sports equipment, lighting of non-residential buildings, covering both the interior lighting emitted towards the exterior of these buildings and the lighting of the facades of buildings (this last category does not concern street lamps for public lighting of communities affixed to facades which are intended to illuminate the roads), lighting of uncovered or semi-covered parking lots, event lighting, lighting of outdoor construction sites. These requirements may vary depending on the location of these installations: in built-up areas, outside built-up areas or in the natural areas listed in the appendix to Article R. 583-4 of the Environmental Code as well as in observation sites. astronomical mentioned in the same article.