Joint SHHA/SHS Statement on Outdoor Lighting

Among the many pleasures of residing in Sandia Heights are the dark skies which allow stargazing, watching the moon rise over the mountains, and enjoying the distant sparkling night lights of Albuquerque.  This was a quality of life issue for the original developers of Sandia Heights and these activities are possible today, some 40+ years later, in large part because of regulations contained in our Sandia Heights Unit Covenants that apply to light pollution.

Today, it is increasingly evident that some of our residents are “lighting up” the outside of their properties for the purpose of enhancing security.  The Sandia Heights Unit Covenants do not address security and security-related issues that can affect the neighborhood such as alarms, outdoor cameras, outdoor lighting, and other methods intended to deter home invasions.  The Sandia Heights Homeowners Association (SHHA) and Sandia Heights Security (SHS) have jointly agreed that taking measures to secure one’s home is important, so long as these measures are within the bounds of the Unit Covenants.  “Lighting up” is not necessarily the best deterrence and, as recently determined by analyses of national crime statistics, most home burglaries occur during daylight hours and that alarms, cameras, dogs, and having a TV or radio turned on can be effective deterrents.  SHHA asks that all residents be aware of and follow the Unit Covenants for light pollution and the Bernalillo County Ordinance for Light Pollution. The specific County ordinance for North Albuquerque Acres and Sandia Heights is quite restrictive regarding outdoor lighting and the County takes a serious approach to its enforcement.

SHHA asks that when planning the installation of new outdoor lighting or replacing your current outdoor lighting, in addition to consulting the regulations mentioned above, that you think about how the impact of your outdoor lighting will have upon your neighbors.  Will the lights shine into their windows or onto their patio?  A little consideration can avoid a complaint to SHHA’s Covenant Support Committee and/or to Bernalillo County.  We have a beautiful and unique neighborhood and we are working to maintain and to insure for the future that the original concept envisioned for our community continues with its vision to minimize the impact on our natural environment.

If you have questions, please contact the SHHA office at 797-7793.

Posted on 05/24/17