HI SB2987

Beginning July 1, 2027, all new outdoor light fixtures in Hawaii must comply with statewide requirements for backlighting, uplight, and glare to protect dark night skies valued for astronomy, wildlife, and Native Hawaiian cultural practices.

Compliant fixtures must either be on the DLC-LUNA qualified products list or meet specific standards including a maximum color temperature of 3,000 Kelvin, U1 uplight rating, and automatic dimming capability to 20% of maximum output.

Outdoor lights must be extinguished or dimmed by at least 75% during curfew hours (10:00 p.m. to sunrise) for residential users and commercial users outside operating hours.

Special stricter requirements apply near turtle nesting habitats, including narrowband amber LEDs, zero uplight ratings, and shielding to ensure lights are not visible from nests or the waterline.

Exemptions include airports, highways, commercial harbors, emergency lighting, holiday decorations, open flame gas lamps, and fixtures installed before June 30, 2026; the law does not apply to counties with populations under 100,000.