Streetlights
Arlington County is implementing innovative streetlight technology with maintainable infrastructure to promote a safe and sustainable community. Arlington streets are illuminated by some 19,000 streetlights. The County maintains 8,000 of those, with the remainder serviced by Dominion Energy.
Streetlight Management Plan
The Streetlight Management Plan (SMP) project was completed and approved by DES in March 2019. The goal of the plan was to develop guidelines and standards for the County, to enhance the appearance of our streetscapes, update lighting standards and improve outage reporting. The SMP is also intended to guide County staff on the selection of future streetlight technology, optimization of maintenance, and general service delivery needs.
The core principles and standards have been adopted, including:
- Lower color temperature standard for LED lights – 3000 degrees Kelvin for residential streets, 4000 degrees Kelvin for commercial and mixed-use areas
- More choices of County-owned light styles – carlyle in commercial areas, cobra in residential areas
- Ownership districting – moving toward County ownership in commercial areas and Dominion Energy ownership in residential areas
For more information, visit the project website.
Streetlight Request
For all streetlight outages, call 703-228-5000 or submit a report online.
For repairs, provide the exact location of the streetlight and a pole number. A pole number typically begins with two letters. County-maintained poles are black with yellow text.
- If the streetlight is serviced by Dominion Energy, call Dominion Energy at 1 866-366-4357 or report online using this link.
- Minor repairs such as bulb, fuse and head replacements typically take two to three weeks if properly reported with address and pole number.
- Major repairs such as conductor replacement or underground utility work may take 45 days or longer.
For requesting a new streetlight, submit a request online or call 703-228-5000. Upon receiving the request, Transportation Engineering and Operations staff will conduct a review. If the new lighting is recommended, staff will notify the requestor and proceed with the installation.
Streetlight Improvement Program
The Streetlight Improvement Program contains different types of projects that are intended to implement operational improvements as well as build new infrastructure where there are existing gaps. Many of the streetlight initiatives are based on the goals outlined in the SMP. This page will provide updates on some of the streetlight projects in the County.