Request a Residential Street Light

Neighborhoods can request new street lights or replacements for their community.

Property owners pay for neighborhood street lights in unincorporated Hillsborough County as a separate Hillsborough County Consolidated Street Lighting Special Purpose District assessment on their property tax bill, or as a fee within their homeowner's association assessment.

Adding new street lights to existing neighborhoods is possible, but requires agreement from the property owners who will be paying for them.

Fees

• Street lighting is billed annually in advance
• The assessments are part of the annual (ad valorem) property tax bill
• Cost of the Residential Street Lighting Program includes:
  • Planning and engineering
  • Installation
  • Maintenance
  • Tree trimming
  • Energy to operate the light
• Street light assessments are based on the front footage of your lot (parcel)

• See a breakdown of fees and light styles

TECO involvement

• Lights are installed and maintained by Tampa Electric Company (TECO)
  • Report a streetlight outage
  • LED upgrading process
• Regular replacement of the light bulbs is part of the preventive maintenance plan
• Necessary tree trimming is done upon request by residents - Contact TECO online or call (813) 223-0800
• All light fixtures are equipped with a dusk-to-dawn sensor controlling light operation

Request process

1. Contact the Traffic Services Section at (813) 635-5400
2. We will request a lighting plan for the area from TECO on behalf of the petitioner
3. We will send you everything you need to get the request started, including:
   • A map showing the boundaries of the proposed lighting area
   • A letter explaining the type of lighting
   • An approximate cost
   • A copy of the proposed street lighting plan
   • The petition forms
4. You should circulate the petition among the people living within the boundaries of the proposed area
   • The signatures obtained must constitute a majority of the property owners in that area
   • When petitioning for registered voters, you must submit the petition to the Supervisor of Elections for the verification of the names
   • There is no fee for verifying property owners or for verifying registered owners
5. If we confirm that the petition contains the necessary majority of signatures and all requirements have been met, we will place the petitioned area on the annual schedule for a public hearing to establish new street lighting districts
6. We will publish a notice of a public hearing to inform interested parties of a proposed street lighting district, to allow all affected property owners the right to appear at the hearing, and to file written objections or comments concerning the proposed lighting areas
   • At the public hearing, the Board of County Commissioners will consider any objections or comments for approving or not approving a proposed lighting area
7. If the area is approved, we will authorize TECO to install the lights
   • After BOCC approval, TECO has one year from October 1 to October 1, of the following year, to complete installation of all the new areas
8. The method of collection for funding of this special taxing district for street lighting is by special assessment
   • The assessment is added to property owners’ tax bills before the installation of lights
   • The funds are collected in advance for payment of the lighting bills

Get help

Department: Public Works
Email: pwcustomerresolution@hcfl.gov
Phone: (813) 635-5400