--- title: How to Maintain Public Lighting? description: Discover how to optimize public lighting maintenance thanks to IoT. image: https://blog.kuzzle.io/hubfs/public%20lighting%20mantenance.jpg --- [![Kuzzle logo](https://blog.kuzzle.io/hubfs/kuzzle-white-logo.svg)](https://kuzzle.io/) - [FR](https://blog.kuzzle.io/fr) - [Careers](https://kuzzle.io/company/recruitment/) - [Contact Us](https://kuzzle.io/contact-us/) - [Newsletter](https://kuzzle.io/newsletter/) - [Blog Home](https://blog.kuzzle.io/) - [Use Cases](https://kuzzle.io/use-case/) - [Documentation](https://docs.kuzzle.io/) - [Company](https://kuzzle.io/company/) # How to Maintain Public Lighting? By Alicia Thermos on November 06, 2026 Public lighting maintenance relies on three levers: preventive servicing of streetlights and cabinets, fast repair of failures and remote control of the lighting stock using IoT. **In France, 40% of luminaires in service are more than 25 years old, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition** ([EDF Collectivités](https://www.edf.fr/collectivites/decryptages/territoires-realisations/renovation-d-eclairage-public-et-economies-d-energie-le-duo-gagnant)). Every faulty light point therefore weighs on the budget, user safety and the mayor's liability. In a smart city, maintenance is no longer limited to night patrols looking for unlit lamps. Connected luminaires report their own faults, consumption and operating hours. The connected territory thus moves from reactive maintenance to data-driven maintenance, which is more efficient and compliant with light pollution regulations. **Contents** 1. [What are the types of public lighting maintenance?](https://blog.kuzzle.io/how-to-maintain-public-lighting#maintenance-types) 2. [Who is involved in public lighting maintenance?](https://blog.kuzzle.io/how-to-maintain-public-lighting#stakeholders) 3. [Which standards and regulations govern public lighting?](https://blog.kuzzle.io/how-to-maintain-public-lighting#regulation) 4. [FAQ on public lighting maintenance](https://blog.kuzzle.io/how-to-maintain-public-lighting#faq) ## What are the types of public lighting maintenance? A public lighting stock is maintained by combining four complementary approaches. The share of each depends on the age of the streetlights, the level of remote management equipment and the local authority's resources. ### Systematic preventive maintenance This involves intervening on a fixed schedule, before a failure occurs. Common operations include: - group replacement of light sources at the end of their service life; - cleaning of bowls and optics, which lose efficiency as they get dirty; - checking control cabinets, astronomical clocks and electrical protections; - mechanical inspection of supports: corrosion, stability, tightening of brackets. This approach remains relevant for older stocks fitted with discharge lamps (high-pressure sodium, metal halide). It becomes costly when it leads to replacing components that are still working. ### Corrective maintenance Corrective maintenance deals with reported failures: an unlit lamp, a luminaire lit in broad daylight, a damaged cable, a pole hit by a vehicle. Maintenance contracts generally set differentiated response times: immediate make-safe for a dangerous support, a few days for an isolated light point. Without sensors, detection relies on complaints from residents or night patrols. Some failures therefore remain unnoticed for several days, with a direct impact on road and pedestrian safety. ### How does IoT make predictive maintenance possible? Predictive maintenance relies on data continuously reported by connected luminaires and cabinets. Voltage, current, LED driver temperature, operating hours and consumption drift can signal a failure before it happens. Teams intervene at the right time, on the right streetlight, with the right part. Low-bandwidth networks (LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, Zigbee or PLC) connect light points to a supervision platform. This platform centralises alarms, sends alerts to computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) and logs every operation. It is the foundation of smart public lighting in a connected territory. ### Remote management, a tool for maintenance and energy sobriety Remote management makes it possible to control switch-on, switch-off and light intensity remotely, at cabinet or luminaire level. It serves maintenance as much as energy sobriety: power reduction in the middle of the night, partial switch-off, emergency switch-on during an event. With [Kuzzle's smart public lighting solution](https://kuzzle.io/fr/cas-usage/eclairage-public-intelligent/), local authorities control their lighting stock from a single interface: - **remote management at cabinet or luminaire level**, with programming by street or real-time adaptation to footfall; - **automatic fault detection**, such as abnormal switch-offs or untimely switch-ons; - **interoperability between heterogeneous controllers**, avoiding dependence on a single luminaire manufacturer; - **consumption monitoring and optimisation** with the [energy consumption monitoring](https://kuzzle.io/fr/consommation-energie/) module; - **up to 40% fewer trips for programming and maintenance, thanks to failure detection.** These functions are integrated into [Kuzzle Hypervision](https://kuzzle.io/fr/kuzzle-hypervision/), which brings together lighting, energy, air quality and building management on a single [smart city IoT platform](https://kuzzle.io/fr/plateforme-iot-smart-city/). For example, Alès Agglomération relies on a territorial hypervision platform to break down silos between its departments, including the supervision of lighting-related equipment (traffic lights, energy meter readings). ## Who is involved in public lighting maintenance? The municipality remains primarily responsible for public lighting, even when it delegates its operation. Lighting is not a mandatory competence, but it falls under the mayor's police powers, as the mayor is responsible for ensuring safe and convenient passage on public roads under [article L2212-2 of the French General Local Authorities Code (CGCT)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000006390150). The competence can, however, be transferred to an energy syndicate or an intermunicipal body. | Stakeholder | Role in maintenance | Responsibilities | | --- | --- | --- | | Municipality and mayor | Owner of the network, defines the level of service and lighting periods | Police powers (road safety), normal upkeep of the public structure, compliance with light pollution rules | | Energy syndicate or intermunicipal body (EPCI) | Exercises the competence when transferred to it: investment, works, pooled maintenance | Project ownership of the transferred network, award of contracts, mapping of assets | | Maintenance contractor (private company) | Carries out preventive and corrective maintenance under the contract (public contract, global performance contract) | Compliance with response times, team safety, electrical certifications, traceability of interventions | | Engineering consultancy and project manager | Assesses the stock, designs renovations, sizes lighting levels | Project compliance with lighting standards and environmental regulations | | Distribution system operator (Enedis or local distribution company) | Supplies power to lighting cabinets, works on shared networks | Continuity of supply, coordination during works on shared supports | | IoT solution provider (platform, sensors) | Provides remote management, supervision and failure alerts | Service availability, data security and sovereignty, interoperability | | Residents and users | Report failures and nuisances | No obligation, but a valuable source of information for maintenance | The division of roles must be clearly set out in the maintenance contract: scope, performance indicators, deadlines and penalties. A supervision platform shared between the local authority and its contractor gives everyone the same view of the lighting stock and ongoing interventions. In the event of an accident caused by a lighting defect, the municipality may be held liable before the administrative courts for failing to properly maintain the public structure. ## Which standards and regulations govern public lighting? Public lighting maintenance must reconcile three legal requirements: user safety, limiting light pollution and the safety of technicians. The texts below form the regulatory framework currently in force. ### What does the Environmental Code say about light pollution? The [Grenelle II Law No. 2010-788 of 12 July 2010](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000022471462) created [articles L583-1 to L583-5 of the French Environmental Code](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/code?query=%22L583-1%22%20code%20de%20l%27environnement). They allow the State to impose requirements on lighting installations to prevent nuisance to people, wildlife, plants and the night sky. Article L583-5 gives the mayor powers of control and sanction, through a formal notice followed by an order. [Decree No. 2011-831 of 12 July 2011](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/all?query=d%C3%A9cret%202011-831%20du%2012%20juillet%202011%20nuisances%20lumineuses) clarified these rules in articles R583-1 to R583-7. [Law No. 2016-1087 of 8 August 2016 for the recovery of biodiversity](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000033016237) then added night landscapes to the nation's common heritage. These powers are not merely theoretical. In a ruling of 18 May 2026, the Toulouse administrative court ordered a mayor to take action against 36 non-compliant signs, as simple reminders of the rules were deemed insufficient ([Banque des Territoires](https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/nuisances-lumineuses-une-commune-peut-elle-etre-condamnee-pour-inaction)). ### What obligations does the order of 27 December 2018 impose? The [order of 27 December 2018 on the prevention, reduction and limitation of light pollution](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000037864346) (NOR TREP1831126A) is the reference text for any streetlight. Its technical requirements, set out in article 3 for outdoor road lighting, are as follows ([AIDA INERIS](https://aida.ineris.fr/node/31992)): | Indicator | Required value | | --- | --- | | Proportion of light emitted above the horizontal (ULR) | Strictly below 1% at nominal value, below 4% once installed | | CIE flux code No. 3 | Above 95% | | Colour temperature | 3,000 K maximum; in protected areas, 2,700 K in built-up areas and 2,400 K outside built-up areas | | Surface density of installed luminous flux (DSFLI) | Below 35 lm/m² in built-up areas, below 25 lm/m² outside built-up areas | These values have applied to new installations since 1 January 2020. Luminaires emitting more than 50% of their flux towards the sky had to be replaced before 1 January 2025. The order does not impose a national switch-off time for road lighting: the mayor sets lighting periods under their police powers. For maintenance, this means that every luminaire replacement must meet these thresholds, and that the inventory of the lighting stock must make it possible to prove compliance. An IoT platform that logs the models installed and the dimming profiles makes this monitoring easier. ### Which rules protect networks and technicians? - **Works near networks (DT-DICT)**: [articles R554-1 et seq. of the Environmental Code](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/code?query=%22R554-1%22%20code%20de%20l%27environnement) require the operator of the public lighting network to declare it on the national one-stop shop and to respond to works declarations. - **Electrical safety**: [articles R4544-1 to R4544-11 of the French Labour Code](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/code?query=%22R4544-1%22%20code%20du%20travail) govern operations on electrical installations. Technicians must hold a certification compliant with the NF C 18-510 standard. - **Waste**: used lamps and luminaires fall under the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) scheme, governed by [articles R543-172 et seq. of the Environmental Code](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/search/code?query=%22R543-172%22%20code%20de%20l%27environnement). ### Which technical standards apply? | Standard | Subject | | --- | --- | | NF EN 13201 (parts 2 to 5) | Road lighting classes, performance requirements, measurement methods and energy performance indicators | | NF C 17-200 | Design and installation rules for outdoor electrical installations | | NF EN 40 | Design and verification of lighting columns | | NF C 18-510 | Prevention of electrical risk and certification of technicians | Not all of these standards are mandatory. However, they are generally made contractual in maintenance contracts and serve as a reference in the event of a dispute. ## FAQ on public lighting maintenance ### Who is responsible for public lighting maintenance? The municipality is responsible for public lighting under the mayor's police powers (article L2212-2 of the CGCT). It can transfer the competence to an energy syndicate or an intermunicipal body and entrust operations to a specialist company, without losing its police responsibility. ### What is the difference between preventive and predictive maintenance? Preventive maintenance follows a fixed schedule, regardless of the actual condition of the equipment. Predictive maintenance relies on data from connected streetlights to intervene just before a failure, which reduces trips and unnecessary replacements. ### How can a public lighting failure be detected without night patrols? IoT remote management automatically detects abnormal switch-offs, untimely switch-ons and consumption drift. The alert is sent to a supervision platform, such as [Kuzzle Hypervision](https://kuzzle.io/fr/kuzzle-hypervision/), which locates the light point concerned. ### Which colour temperature should be chosen for a streetlight? The order of 27 December 2018 limits colour temperature to 3,000 K for outdoor lighting and, in protected areas, to 2,700 K in built-up areas and 2,400 K outside built-up areas. Warmer light limits the impact on nocturnal biodiversity. ### Can a municipality switch off its public lighting at night? Yes. No national rule requires roads to be lit all night. The mayor sets the schedules by order, ensuring travel safety and informing residents. Remote management makes it possible to adjust switch-off by sector and to switch lighting back on remotely when needed. ### What gains can be expected from smart public lighting? Smart public lighting reduces energy consumption through dimming and targeted switch-off, and makes maintenance more efficient. Kuzzle observes up to 40% fewer trips for programming and maintenance with its [connected public lighting solution](https://kuzzle.io/fr/cas-usage/eclairage-public-intelligent/). ### What role does public lighting play in a smart city? The streetlight network covers the entire territory and has a power supply. It often serves as a support for other sensors: footfall counting, [air quality](https://kuzzle.io/fr/qualite-air/), noise. A [smart city IoT platform](https://kuzzle.io/fr/plateforme-iot-smart-city/) cross-references this data to manage a connected and sustainable territory. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Alicia Thermos](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/47c07be51c528b59e92581e25bfcc712) By Alicia Thermos on November 06, 2026 ### Related posts [Controlling Public Lighting at Light-Point and Cabinet Leve](https://blog.kuzzle.io/controlling-public-lighting-at-light-point-and-cabinet-leve) [![Controlling Public Lighting at Light-Point and Cabinet Leve](https://blog.kuzzle.io/hubfs/public%20lighting.jpg)](https://blog.kuzzle.io/controlling-public-lighting-at-light-point-and-cabinet-leve) [Smart Public Lighting for Connected and Sustainable Territories](https://blog.kuzzle.io/smart-public-lighting-for-territories) [![Smart Public Lighting for Connected and Sustainable Territories](https://blog.kuzzle.io/hubfs/Blogpost%20-%20Vignettes%20(1)-1.jpg)](https://blog.kuzzle.io/smart-public-lighting-for-territories) [Smart City: IoT at the service of energy efficiency](https://blog.kuzzle.io/iot-energy-sobriety) [![Smart City: IoT at the service of energy efficiency](https://blog.kuzzle.io/hubfs/sobri%C3%A9t%C3%A9%20EN.jpg)](https://blog.kuzzle.io/iot-energy-sobriety) What is Kuzzle? 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