Flagstaff Celebrates 50 years
of dark skies protection

City of Flagstaff Ordinance 440

April 15, 1958...

“BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Flagstaff as follows, to-wit:

“1. It is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person or persons to operate within the City Limits of the City of Flagstaff, any incandescent or an arc-type search light, beacon light or similar lighting device designed to and capable of projecting a beam of light into the sky for a distance of an excess of one half (1/2) mile… ”

April 15, 2008...

It seems amazing to many that the dark skies movement, only now beginning to gain widespread acceptance in communities, states and nations around the world, began 50 years ago with the passage of this simple ordinance in Flagstaff, Arizona. But this was the first time anywhere in the world that a legal restriction was placed on outdoor lighting for the purpose of controlling light pollution.

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