Lincoln City, OR. — Lincoln City is studying whether to pursue international recognition as a Dark Sky Community, a move aimed at curbing light pollution while boosting tourism.
In late 2024, the City Council directed staff to explore ways to reduce light trespass, particularly the glow from artificial lights spilling onto local beaches. City Manager Ron Chandler assigned Explore Lincoln City to lead the effort, focusing on certification through Dark Sky International, a nonprofit based in Tucson, Arizona.
Certification is seen as both an environmental step and a tourism opportunity, with benefits ranging from wildlife protection to community health and heritage preservation.
Explore Lincoln City contracted with a Travel Oregon dark skies consultant to guide Phase One of the certification process. That phase includes a citywide lighting inventory, public engagement, and monitoring of light levels. The study is expected to be complete this winter, with results to be presented to the City Council.
A preliminary inventory identified roughly 200 City-owned streetlights and building lights that do not meet dark-sky standards. These fixtures are either unshielded or excessively bright. The cost of replacement has not yet been determined.
The summer inventory concluded that residential areas are most affected by unshielded lighting, while commercial zones are the largest contributors to overall light pollution. Businesses often use bright lighting and internally lit signs, creating light spillover onto beaches, open spaces, and waterways.
“Commercial and institutional lighting are significant sources of the city’s light pollution,” the report noted. “Certification would require strong education and support from the business community.”
Lincoln City already has exterior lighting regulations in its code (17.52.150), including requirements that fixtures be shielded, luminance at property lines be zero, and parking lot lights remain below a set brightness. Up-lighting is prohibited. Consultants suggested the city could go further by setting stricter limits on brightness, requiring warmer-colored lights to cut down on blue light, and establishing clearer compliance timelines.
Oregon has six official dark sky areas, including Prineville Reservoir State Park, Oregon Caves National Monument, and the cities of Sisters and Antelope. The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary is the largest such site in the state.
Certification requires a one-time $250 application fee to Dark Sky International. No ongoing fees are charged, but communities typically face additional costs to upgrade lighting.
Once the feasibility report is completed this winter, the City Council will decide whether to move into Phase Two. That would include a pre-application to Dark Sky International, updates to city ordinances, replacement of noncompliant city lights, and further public outreach.
Lincoln City is also coordinating with partners including the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative, Central Oregon Coast Community College, Chinook Winds Casino Resort, and the Lincoln City Outlet Mall.
For more information on the initiative, visit Explore Lincoln City’s Dark Skies and Astrotourism page.
About the Author
