Parking Lot Lighting Design: Pole Spacing, Foot-Candles & Layout Guide

Designing parking lot lighting isn't just about putting lights on poles — it's about achieving the right light levels for safety and security while minimizing energy waste and light pollution. This guide covers everything you need to know.

IES Recommended Foot-Candle Levels

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) publishes recommended light levels for parking areas. These are the industry standard:

Parking Lot Foot-Candle Requirements (IES RP-20)

What does this mean in practice?

• A typical retail parking lot needs 1.0 foot-candle average with no spot darker than 0.25 fc
• A hospital or high-security area needs 2.0+ foot-candles
• Uniformity ratio of 4:1 means the brightest spot can't be more than 4x the darkest spot

Pole Height Guidelines

Rule of thumb: Pole spacing should be approximately 3-4x the mounting height for Type III distribution, and 4-5x for Type V distribution.

Light Distribution Types Explained

LED area lights come in different distribution patterns. Choosing the right one is critical:

Type II

• Narrow forward throw
• Best for: walkways, narrow parking rows, building perimeters
• Typically used at the edges of parking lots

Type III (Most Common for Parking Lots)

• Moderate forward throw with good lateral spread
• Best for: parking lot perimeters and rows along the edge
• Auvolar OT Series and PLB Series offer Type III

Type IV

• Wide forward throw
• Best for: building-mounted area lights, wall packs
• Illuminates area in front of the fixture

Type V

• Circular/square distribution, equal in all directions
• Best for: center-of-lot poles, intersections
• Auvolar OT Series and PLB Series offer Type V

When to Use Type III vs Type V

• Perimeter poles → Type III (throws light into the lot, not onto the street)
• Interior poles → Type V (illuminates in all directions)
• Single-row parking → Type III on one side
• Double-row parking → Type V in center, or Type III from both sides

How Many Fixtures Do You Need?

Quick Estimation Method

For a standard parking lot at 1.0 fc average:

Formula: Number of fixtures = (Lot area in sq ft × Target foot-candles) ÷ (Lumens per fixture × Coefficient of Utilization) Simplified rule of thumb:

• 150W LED (22,000 lumens) covers approximately 8,000-12,000 sq ft at 1.0 fc
• 200W LED (30,000 lumens) covers approximately 12,000-16,000 sq ft at 1.0 fc
• 300W LED (45,000 lumens) covers approximately 16,000-22,000 sq ft at 1.0 fc

Example: 200-Space Parking Lot

Typical 200-space lot: ~60,000 sq ft (about 1.4 acres)

Using Auvolar OT Series 150W (22,500 lumens):

• Coverage per fixture: ~10,000 sq ft at 1.0 fc on 25ft poles
• Fixtures needed: 60,000 ÷ 10,000 = 6 fixtures
• Pole configuration: 6 poles with single fixtures, spaced ~80ft apart
• Total cost: 6 × $120 = $720 in fixtures

Using Auvolar PLB Series 200W (30,000 lumens):

• Coverage per fixture: ~14,000 sq ft at 1.0 fc on 25ft poles
• Fixtures needed: 60,000 ÷ 14,000 = 5 fixtures
• Pole configuration: 5 poles, spaced ~90ft apart
• Total cost: 5 × $200 = $1,000 in fixtures

When to Get a Professional Photometric Layout

For these situations, you should get a computer-generated photometric layout:

• Projects over 20 fixtures
• Areas with strict code requirements (hospitals, schools)
• Dark sky compliance required
• Complex lot shapes
• Municipality or AHJ requires a lighting plan

Auvolar provides free photometric layouts for projects over $2,000. We use AGi32/Visual software with our fixtures' IES files.

Pole and Mounting Options

Pole Types

• Round tapered steel poles — most common, available 15-40ft
• Square steel poles — decorative option for retail
• Concrete poles — hurricane zones
• Wood poles — budget option, utility-style

Mounting Arms

• Single arm — one fixture per pole
• Twin arm — two fixtures per pole (doubles coverage)
• Quad arm — four fixtures per pole (intersections)

Auvolar Mounting Compatibility

All Auvolar area lights fit standard 2-3/8" OD tenon (the most common pole top size):

• Slip fitter mount — slides over tenon, adjustable angle ✓
• Direct arm mount — bolts to horizontal arm ✓
• Yoke/trunnion mount — wall or surface mount ✓
• Universal mount — included with OT and PLB Series ✓

Dark Sky Compliance

Many California cities now require dark sky compliant lighting:

BUG Rating System

BUG stands for Backlight, Uplight, Glare — lower numbers are better:

• B0-U0-G0 = Best possible (zero light pollution)
• Most codes require U0 (zero uplight) minimum
• Some require full B0-U0-G0

Auvolar PLB Series: BUG 0-0-0 — the best possible dark sky rating. Fully shielded, zero uplight, zero backlight.

California Cities with Dark Sky Ordinances

• Rancho Mirage
• Borrego Springs
• Julian
• Mt. Palomar area
• Many cities in the Bay Area are adopting similar ordinances

Energy Code Compliance

California Title 24 (2022)

• Outdoor parking: maximum 0.15 W/sq ft
• Lighting controls required (photocell minimum)
• Auvolar area lights with photocell option meet this requirement

ASHRAE 90.1 (National)

• Parking areas: 0.15 W/sq ft maximum
• Loading areas: 0.10 W/sq ft
• Automatic controls required

All Auvolar area lights easily comply with both Title 24 and ASHRAE 90.1 power density limits.

Common Parking Lot Lighting Mistakes

Over-lighting — More light isn't always better. Excess light causes glare and wastes energy.

Wrong distribution type — Using Type V on perimeter poles throws light onto neighboring properties.

Ignoring uniformity — Hot spots and dark spots are worse than slightly lower overall levels.

Forgetting photocells — Required by code and saves energy by turning off lights at dawn.

Cheap fixtures — Non-DLC fixtures miss rebates, and low-quality drivers fail in 2-3 years.

Recommended Auvolar Area Lights by Application

Get Started

Need help designing your parking lot lighting? Auvolar offers:

• Free photometric layouts for projects over $2,000
• IES files available for all fixtures (for your lighting designer)
• Spec sheets with complete technical data
• Ships within 1-2 business days from City of Industry, California

Call (626) 364-9198 or email sales@auvolar.com.