Federal Lighting Regulations
FAA/ICAO/FCC Federal Lighting Regulations:
Any structure that exceeds 200 feet above ground level generally needs to be marked (lighted) according to FAA/ICAO Regulations. Whether your structure is a tower or a solid structure such as a chimney or building there are many factors that can affect obstruction marking requirements, such as weather, terrain, proximity to airports, etc. The information presented here is intended to provide basic guidance for structure marking.
The FAA and ICAO guidelines presented herein describe minimum requirements for various structure heights and descriptions of equipment to be used. Note that for Red Lighting Systems, the tower must be painted in alternating levels of aviation orange and white to provide maximum daytime visibility (red lights are for nighttime only). In the case of white or dual lighting systems, the need for painting the tower is eliminated.
Height is only one important consideration when choosing how a structure is to be marked. The products offered by Unimar support the obstruction lighting requirements set forth by the FAA/FCC and ICAO. In the case of special applications such as aviation lighting for industrial facilities or wind farm lighting, let your sales representative or our Technical Support staff help you determine the best lighting solution.
FAA Lighting System Configuration
| Type A | Red Lighting System |
| Type B | High Intensity White (Without appurtenance) |
| Type C | High Intensity White (White medium intensity beacon on appurtenance over 40’ tall) |
| Type D | Medium Intensity White |
| Type E | Dual Lighting Systems / Red & Medium Intensity White |
| Type F | Dual Lighting Systems / Red & High Intensity White (Dual Beacon on appurtenance over 40’ tall) |
| Solid Structure | Chimney & Stack |
ICAO Lighting System Configuration
| Red Lighting Systems | Type B- Medium Intensity Red Flashing (L-864) Type C- Medium Intensity Red Steady (L-864) Type B- Low Intensity Red Steady (L-810) |
| White Lighting Systems | Type A- Medium Intensity White Flashing (L-865; L-866) Type A- High Intensity White Flashing (L-856; L857) |
| Dual Lighting Systems | Type A- Medium Intensity Red Flashing (L-864) Type C- Medium Intensity Red Steady (L-864) Type B- Medium Intensity White Flashing (L-865) Type A- High Intensity White Flashing (L-856; L-857) Type B- Low Intensity Red Steady (L-810) |
FAA Equipment Classification
| L-810 | Red Obstruction Light- Steady Burning |
| L-864 | Medium Intensity Red Beacon (20-40 FPM) |
| L-865 | Medium Intensity White Beacon (40 FPM) |
| L-864/L-865 | Dual Red/White Medium Intensity Beacon (40 FPM) |
| L-856 | White High Intensity Beacon (40 FPM) |
| L-856/L-864 | Dual High Intensity Beacon (40 FPM) |
| L-866/L-885 | Dual Red/White Medium Intensity Catenary (60 FPM) |