How many light poles does a parking lot need?
A 300 × 200 ft lot took 8 poles at 30 ft for a 0.2 fc minimum and 10 poles for 0.5 fc. That is from a real Runnax Engine run, with a 166 W Type III luminaire and poles allowed only on the islands and curbs. Below are four lot sizes run the same way, with every input stated, so you can see how the count moves with size and target, and check any of it in AGi32.
Poles by lot size
| Lot | Acres | Min 0.2 fc | Min 0.5 fc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 × 200 ft | 0.46 | 4 poles | 4 poles |
| 200 × 200 ft | 0.92 | 8 poles | 8 poles |
| 300 × 200 ft | 1.38 | 8 poles | 10 poles |
| 400 × 200 ft | 1.84 | 12 poles | 14 poles |
Each count is the fewest poles the engine found that met every target, using a 166 W Type III on 25–30 ft poles. The engine also had a 70 W Type III to choose from; it did not pass any lot with 16 poles or fewer.
Full results
| Lot · target | Poles · height | Min · Max:Min | Vertical min · spacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 × 200 ft · 0.2 fc | 4 · 29.9 ft | 0.55 fc · 8.7 | 0.16 fc · 66 ft |
| 100 × 200 ft · 0.5 fc | 4 · 29.9 ft | 0.61 fc · 7.6 | 0.16 fc · 69 ft |
| 200 × 200 ft · 0.2 fc | 8 · 30.0 ft | 0.62 fc · 8.6 | 0.18 fc · 59 ft |
| 200 × 200 ft · 0.5 fc | 8 · 29.8 ft | 0.62 fc · 9.0 | 0.21 fc · 57 ft |
| 300 × 200 ft · 0.2 fc | 8 · 30.0 ft | 0.25 fc · 17.6 | 0.11 fc · 83 ft |
| 300 × 200 ft · 0.5 fc | 10 · 29.4 ft | 0.61 fc · 8.2 | 0.15 fc · 65 ft |
| 400 × 200 ft · 0.2 fc | 12 · 29.9 ft | 0.41 fc · 11.6 | 0.14 fc · 68 ft |
| 400 × 200 ft · 0.5 fc | 14 · 29.9 ft | 0.62 fc · 8.8 | 0.21 fc · 58 ft |
Every layout is two rows of poles on the two islands, one head per pole (the engine was allowed two). Spacing is between neighbouring poles in a row. A full run, both luminaires included, took 13 s to 146 s.
What sets the count
- Where poles can stand. Poles go on islands and curbs only, so the rows are fixed by the lot plan and the engine can only choose how many poles per row, where and how tall.
- Vertical light along the aisle, not just the pavement. On the 200 × 200 ft lot the horizontal minimum came out at 0.62 fc, three times the 0.2 fc target, yet 8 poles were needed. The binding check was vertical illuminance 5 ft above the drive-aisle centerline, facing both directions of travel (target 0.1 fc). Relaxed to 0.01 fc in a test run, the same lot passed with 6 poles on the curbs. On the 300 × 200 ft lot, relaxing it changed nothing: the horizontal minimum set the count at 8.
- Minimum, not average. The targets are a minimum on every grid point, including the lot edges, and a Max:Min ratio.
- The luminaire. The 70 W did not pass any of these lots with 16 poles or fewer. A different distribution or output changes every number here.
How these runs were set up
- Lots
- Synthetic, drawn before the runs. Rows of 9 × 18 ft stalls on both sides of 24 ft aisles (the middle aisle 28 ft), 4 ft islands between the bays and 4 ft curbs along both long sides; 200 ft deep, 100 to 400 ft long. The 300 × 200 ft lot is the one on our homepage.
- Where poles may stand
- The two islands and the two curbs, from 12 ft in from each end.
- Luminaires
- 70 W and 166 W Type III, measured IES files. The engine picks the one that passes with the fewest poles.
- Targets
- Horizontal minimum 0.2 or 0.5 fc and Max:Min at most 20, on a 10 ft grid at grade; vertical minimum 0.1 fc and Max:Min at most 20, 5 ft above the drive-aisle centerline, facing both directions of travel.
- Poles
- 25–30 ft, one or two heads, regular arrays of up to 16 poles in up to 3 rows.
- Calculation
- Point method, light loss factor 0.9, direct light only.
We also ran deeper lots, 300 × 264 ft (four bays) and 400 × 330 ft (five bays). The engine returned no layout for either at either target. On the 300 × 264 ft lot, two rows of up to 16 poles did not pass and none of its three-row arrays lined up with the islands. That is a limit of the current search, not a pole count, so these lots are not in the table. We do not estimate counts the engine did not produce.
Limits
- These are simulations on synthetic lots, not measured light levels and not data from customer projects.
- “Fewest poles” means the fewest the engine found in its search of regular arrays, not a proven minimum.
- 0.2 and 0.5 fc were chosen to show how the count moves with the target. They are not a recommendation for your lot; use the values your specification, code or the RP-8 class for the lot sets.
- Direct light only: no inter-reflection, trees, buildings or shadowing.
Questions
How many light poles does a 300 × 200 ft parking lot need?
In our run, 8 poles of a 166 W Type III luminaire at 30 ft for a 0.2 fc minimum, and 10 poles at 29.4 ft for 0.5 fc, with poles only on the two islands. A different luminaire, target or set of places where poles can stand gives a different count.
How many light poles per acre does a parking lot need?
In these runs, between 5.8 and 8.7 poles per acre: 8.7 on the two smaller lots, 5.8 to 7.6 on the two larger ones. The spread is wide enough that a per-acre figure is a poor way to estimate a specific lot.
How far apart are parking lot light poles?
In these runs, 57 to 83 ft apart along each row, with 29.4 to 30 ft poles in two rows on the islands. Spacing came out of the search; it was not an input.
What pole height did the engine choose?
It was allowed 25 to 30 ft and chose 29.4 to 30 ft in every run, the top of the range.
Does a higher foot-candle target always need more poles?
No. On the 100 × 200 and 200 × 200 ft lots the layout found for 0.2 fc already gave more than 0.5 fc everywhere, so the count did not change. On the 300 × 200 ft lot it went from 8 to 10 poles.
Can you run my parking lot?
Yes. Send the lot, the IES files you would quote and your targets; you get a layout with every input within one business day, free during early access.
Get the pole count for your own lot, free →
How the engine is checked against AGi32: Verification.