How to properly light a car park? Regulations, standards and requirements
Car park lighting regulations – what should you know?
Car park lighting technical requirements
Designing and selecting car park lighting
User safety and energy efficiency

How to properly light a car park? Regulations, standards and requirements

Name: Lenalighting
Address: ul. Kórnicka 52, Środa Wielkopolska, Wielkopolskie, 63-000, Polska
Telephone: 61 28 60 300

When we think about car park lighting, the first image that often comes to mind is a row of luminaires illuminating the area after dark. However, parking is about much more than visibility alone. It involves safety, user comfort, property protection, and the overall appearance of both public and private commercial spaces.

Understanding how to properly light a car park goes far beyond selecting powerful light sources. It requires knowledge of regulations, lighting standards, technical requirements, and practical project experience.

The right lighting solutions enhance the functionality of a space while reducing inconvenience for both users and facility managers.

Car park lighting regulations – what should you know?

The first step when planning a lighting installation is to become familiar with the applicable regulations and standards governing car park lighting. Building regulations and lighting standards (such as EN standards and national regulations) define minimum illuminance levels, uniformity requirements, glare limitations, safety considerations, and the appropriate placement of luminaires.

These regulations often specify that parking areas must maintain defined lighting levels to minimise the risk of accidents, improve orientation, and ensure safety in pedestrian zones, building entrances, and access routes.

Standards also include requirements regarding luminaire durability, resistance to environmental conditions (IP and IK ratings), as well as colour temperature and colour rendering performance (CRI), all of which significantly influence user perception and visual comfort.

Car park lighting technical requirements

When considering the technical requirements for car park lighting, several key aspects must be taken into account:

Illuminance levels – the minimum lux values that should be achieved in critical areas such as driving lanes, pedestrian crossings, building entrances, and walkways.
Lighting uniformity – to avoid excessively bright and dark areas, as strong contrasts can be visually uncomfortable and potentially hazardous.
Glare control – both direct glare from the light source and reflected glare, for example from wet surfaces.
Luminaire durability and construction quality – resistance to weather conditions, mechanical impacts, and the ability to maintain lighting performance over many years of operation.
Colour temperature and colour rendering – light quality affects environmental perception and the sense of safety. The CRI should be high enough to ensure that road markings, lines, and safety features remain clearly visible.

Designing and selecting car park lighting

The question of how to light a car park in compliance with regulations and standards requires a systematic approach that combines technical expertise with practical design experience.

The design process begins with analysing the function and type of facility, as different illuminance levels and luminaire types will be appropriate for outdoor car parks, large-scale parking areas, or underground facilities.

The next stage is to consider the relevant standards and regulations that define requirements for illuminance, lighting uniformity, and glare control, ensuring that the installation complies with applicable national and European requirements.

Luminaire selection should be based on matching technical specifications to environmental conditions and user needs. Important factors include luminous efficacy, durability, mechanical resistance, ingress protection, and overall manufacturing quality, which ensures stable performance throughout the product's lifetime.

The placement of light sources is equally important. Proper luminaire positioning should provide uniform illumination of traffic lanes, parking bays, and pedestrian areas while minimising glare and maintaining a high level of visual comfort for users.

For this reason, when planning an investment, it is worth entrusting the project to an experienced and reliable partner such as Lena Lighting S.A.

User safety and energy efficiency

A properly designed car park lighting system significantly improves safety by reducing the risk of trips, collisions, vandalism, and arson, while also making navigation easier after dark.

Requirements for equipping a car park with high-quality lighting extend beyond vehicle circulation areas and also apply to pedestrian zones, crossings, entrances, and staircases. These locations must remain clearly visible and maintain the required levels of brightness.

At the same time, energy efficiency has become a key consideration. Modern LED technology, accurate photometric data, and high-quality luminaire design make it possible to achieve the required lighting performance while reducing energy consumption, lowering maintenance costs, and providing longer operational life.