Citywide Street Lighting
To Report Any Street Lighting Issues visit 311 or call 614-645-3111 (weekdays 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
The Division of Power (DOP) has been committed to providing and maintaining our city’s streetlights since the late 19th century. Today, street lighting offers significant benefits to both residents and visitors of our city. 
For historical information about how street lighting began in Columbus in the late 19th century, please visit Our History.
The Division of Power proudly serves the community by supporting the street light system. In fact, the Division is responsible for over 50,000 street lights though out the city. We sell electricity to nearly 13,000 customers and use the proceeds to update circuits to ensure they are up to the latest standards, design and manage installation projects, and cover the costs for the maintenance and electricity to the lights. Below is the Division of Power's process for initiating street light projects:
1) For standard wood poles with overhead wires (photo, right), a Streetlight Project Prioritization Policy and Procedure has been established. Residential and arterial street lighting projects are prioritized by DOP Administration based on public safety considerations and public activity factors using the following five components:
Pedestrian Incidents
Vehicle Crashes
Crime
Activity Areas
Population Density
Approximately one year prior to construction, the DOP will contact the residents within the project boundary to solicit feedback concerning our street light plan. Our standard approach is to provide conventional street lights on wood poles; however residents are given the opportunity to consider the installation of decorative lights (see below) or residents may also object to the installation of street lights altogether.
2) For decorative street lights with underground wires (photo, left) a property assessment petition process has been established. Neighborhood residents must agree to cover the difference between the cost of the standard wood pole and the decorative street light. This option is only open to neighborhoods who have ranked high enough under #1 to qualify for funding based on priority.
For more information, call the Street Lighting Engineering Section of the Division of Power at 614-645-1509. If you live in an area outside the Columbus city boundaries, please contact your municipality, township or county offices.