2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWELVE - Conservation (§§ 1-16 — 8162) › Subtitle 8 - Environment II (§§ 8001 — 8162) › Chapter 503 - Light Pollution Control and Prevention Program (§§ 8031 — 8038) › § 8031 - Definitions

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
(a) Authority.— Means the Electric Power Authority, created under §§ 193 et seq. of Title 22, which was known at that time as the “Water Resources Authority”.
(b) Bioluminescence.— Means the ability of some animal organisms, both vertebrate and invertebrate, as well as some fungi, to emit luminous energy as a result of certain chemical reactions.
(c) Astronomical quality of the sky.— Means an aggregate of the environmental characteristics of the sky which determine its conservation potential.
(d) Night sky.— Means the sky as seen from sunset to sunrise of the following day.
(e) Coefficient of utilization.— Means the ratio of lumens from a luminaire received on the area where light is needed compared to the lumens emitted by the luminaire.
(f) Light pollution.— Means the adverse effect of artificial light that causes sky glow.
(g) Department.— Means the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, created under Reorganization Plan No. 3 of December 9, 1993, as amended, Appendix IV of Title 3.
(h) Director.— Means the Director of the Light Pollution Control and Prevention Program.
(i) Efficacy.— Means a lighting system’s ability to produce the desired ambient lighting.
(j) Efficiency.— Means a measure of the effective or useful output of a lighting system compared to its efficacy.
(k) Light emission.— Means the luminous flux emitted by a lamp or luminaire.
(l) Upper uplight.— Means the light emitted above the horizontal plane of a lamp or luminaire.
(m) Beam spread.— Means the angle between the two (2) directions in the plane in which the intensity of light emission is constant.
(n) Emission source.— Means an installed lamp or luminaire that casts upper uplight.
(o) Existing source.— Means an emission source installed before the effective date of this act.
(p) New source.— Means an emission source installed after the effective date of this act.
(q) Disability glare.— Means the reduced visibility caused by reflected light.
(r) Light trespass.— Means light falling where it is not wanted or needed.
(s) Board.— Means the Environmental Quality Board of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, created under §§ 8001 et seq. of this title, known as the “Environmental Public Policy Act”.
(t) Planning Board.— Means the Planning Board created under §§ 62 et seq. of Title 23, known as the “Puerto Rico Planning Board Organic Act”.
(u) Lamp.— Means a light-emitting device that emits light; the term usually refers to a bulb and its housing.
(v) Façade lighting.— Means a light that illuminates or centers attention on a determined object or building.
(w) Ambient light.— Means the overall level of lighting in an area.
(x) Luminaire.— Means a lighting unit that casts, filters, or transforms light, and which includes the bulb and all the parts required for its installation, protection, connection, and proper operation.
(y) Existing luminaire.— Means a luminaire in existence at the time the Governor signs this act.
(z) Lumen.— Means the international metric unit for measuring light output emitted by an emission source.
(aa) Stray light.— Means the emitted light that falls away from the area where it is needed or intended.
(bb) Excessive light.— Means the light that, due to its intensity or range, causes over-illumination, as established by the design standards of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).
(cc) Illuminance.— Refers to the average light level required by design and measured in footcandles.
(dd) Permit Management Office or OGPe (Spanish acronym).— Means the Permit Management Office created under §§ 9011 et seq. of Title 23, known as the “Puerto Rico Permit Process Reform Act”, and successor of the former Regulations and Permit Administration (ARPE, Spanish acronym), created under Act No. 76 of June 24, 1975, as amended, known as the “Organic Act of the Regulations and Permits Administration”.
(ee) Shade.— Means an element used in a light source to protect against direct view or to redirect light from the light source.
(ff) Person.— Means any private, natural, or juridical person within the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico.
(gg) Program.— Means the Light Pollution Control and Prevention Program created in by § 8033 of this title.
(hh) Spotlight.— Means a lamp or luminaire designed to light a well-defined area.
(ii) Reflector.— Means a lamp or luminaire that controls light emission using mirrors.
(jj) Refractor.— Means a lamp or luminaire that controls light emission by using lenses.
(kk) Glare.— Means indirect and intense light that reduces visibility.”
History —Aug. 9, 2008, No. 218, § 3; Nov. 21, 2011, No. 225, § 1; Jan. 18, 2012, No. 29, § 1; June 26, 2013, No. 35, § 1.