City of Northampton, Massachusetts
Central Services Department
Memorial Hall, Suite 3
240 Main Street
Northampton, MA 01060
Phone: (413) 587-1238 Fax: (413) 587-1248
STREET LIGHT MODIFICATION REQUEST FORM
NEW, MODIFY OR REMOVE STREET LIGHT REQUEST
Requested By: Ward No.
Address:
Request Dated:
Type of Request:
ADD a street light at
Street Name: Pole Number:
(Reviewer, proceed to Section VI-A)
MODIFY a street light at
S
treet Name: Pole Number:
so as to redirect or block direct light from this lamp from shining into a window of the
applicant’s residence at
Street Name: Street Number:
REMOVE a street light outside the applicant’s residence located at
Street Name: Pole Number:
Reason for request:
An application to remove a streetlight must be accompanied by a map identifying all of
the residents living within 500 feet along any road in any direction of this streetlight
and a document signed by a representative of each of these residences stating that
they are in agreement regarding removal of this streetlight.
ALTERNATIVE RESOLUTION
The City of Northampton has conducted mapping studies to determine the best locations for streetlights
to maximize both public safety and energy efficiency. If a city resident wishes to add an additional
streetlight at or near their property, the resident can contract directly with National Grid at their own
expense to facilitate the installation and ongoing operation of said streetlight. Any streetlight installed
through this process must comply with all aspects of Northampton's lighting ordinance (§ 350-12.2 of
Northampton’s Zoning law).
The City of Northampton has evaluated the streetlights installed in 2016 to determine an area around
each lamp where the light from the lamp may cause an inordinate amount of light trespass into the
window of a home situated within that area. If a city resident’s home lies outside this area of
illumination but they still wish to add a streetlight shield to a streetlight that is illuminating some part of
their residence they can contract with the city to have a shield installed that is designed to reduce light
directed at the resident’s home. The city will determine which shield is installed. The resident will be
provided a price for this service that covers material and labor.
APPEALING THE DECISION
The denial of a request may be appealed to the Mayor. Such appeal shall be filed in writing
with the Mayor within ten (10) days of the date of such denial. The Mayor may grant such
appeal upon a finding that the denial was based upon erroneous application of Site Evaluation
criteria, or that there are significant extenuating circumstances that warrant deviation from
the Site Evaluation criteria.
THE PROCESSING OF THIS REQUEST
Once the city has determined that there are adequate funds available in the current fiscal year, Central
Services will place a service request for the approved task. Please be aware that it may take up to an
additional four (4) months to complete the request. Equipment will need to be purchased and the city
has to schedule or contract for the work around bad weather and other priorities.
You can contact Central Services and we will try to track the progress of the request for you.