Street Lighting Norms: Categories A, B, C under DBN V.2.5-28:2018

Street categories for lighting

Per Table 8.27 of DBN V.2.5-28:2018, streets, roads and squares with asphalt-concrete pavement are divided into three categories by significance and traffic intensity:

For category B and C streets and roads with a transitional or lower pavement type (not asphalt-concrete), the requirement is set as average horizontal illuminance instead of luminance: 6 lx for category B, 4 lx for category C with a transitional pavement, 2 lx for category C with a lower pavement type.

Additional requirements

• intersections, at-grade pedestrian crossings, public transport stops and accident-prone sections must have an average pavement luminance of at least 1.6 cd/m², regardless of the street category;
• the luminance of pavements adjoining the carriageway must be at least half the luminance of the carriageway pavement;
• on arterials with traffic over 3000 vehicles/hour in both directions and simultaneous heavy pedestrian traffic, luminance requirements are increased by 10–20%.

How the street category affects pole selection

The luminance requirement determines the luminous flux and spacing of luminaires, and the practical spacing of lighting poles for a specific layout follows from that. The standard has no direct table of “pole spacing in metres by street category”: it is a calculated value that also depends on the pole height and the luminaire’s photometry. Practical guidance and standard height ranges are in the article How to Choose a Lighting Pole Height.

What the PUE add to the DBN: luminaire height and pole placement

DBN V.2.5-28 sets the pavement luminance; minimum luminaire heights and pole placement rules come from chapter 6.3 of the Rules for the Arrangement of Electrical Installations (PUE), 2026 edition. They apply to the design, not to a particular pole: pole height and bracket reach are chosen to meet them.

“At least” is a minimum. The designer takes the final values for the site from the current text of the PUE and DBN.

From street to standard: the steps and examples

The requirement is worked out in a few steps. First comes the category and subclass of the street from Table 8.27, which depend on the role of the street and, in the 2018 edition, also on traffic intensity. Then the road surface type: luminance is specified for asphalt-concrete surfaces, illuminance for other surfaces. Intersections, at-grade pedestrian crossings and public transport stops are checked separately. For crossings, see Pedestrian Crossing Lighting.

Mind the edition. The category table above comes from the original 2018 text of DBN V.2.5-28:2018, and since 1 January 2026 Amendment No. 1 has applied (order of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories No. 1254 of 13 August 2025), which changes section 8.5. According to the published draft of the Amendment, this concerns Table 8.27, the requirements for at-grade pedestrian crossings and the threshold increment. So the examples below are limited to rules that are the same in both editions; take the values for your project from the up-to-date text of the standard.

What DBN specifies besides luminance

Average luminance is not the only requirement: the other indicators limit the pole spacing, the mounting height and the choice of luminaire.

The values are from section 8.5 of the 2018 edition of DBN V.2.5-28:2018; Amendment No. 1 has applied since 1 January 2026, so check them against the up-to-date text before design. Only a lighting calculation gives the pole spacing that meets all the conditions; for guidance see Distance Between Street Lighting Poles.

DBN and DSTU EN 13201: which covers what

The street categories and the luminance values in the table above belong to DBN V.2.5-28. Alongside it there is the European system of road lighting classes, EN 13201: all five parts have been adopted in Ukraine as DSTU standards and have applied since 1 July 2024. Part 1 (DSTU CEN/TR 13201-1:2016) helps to select a class, Part 2 (DSTU EN 13201-2:2016) sets the requirements for the classes, and Parts 3–5 deal with calculation, measurement and energy performance.

The classes are designated by letters. M is the carriageway of roads with motor traffic, where luminance is specified. C is conflict areas, such as intersections and roundabouts. P is pedestrian and low-speed areas: footways, residential streets, car parks. For C and P it is illuminance that is specified. The tables of classes are not reproduced here: take the values from the text of the standard, not from a retelling.

To order poles it is enough to name the system the calculation was made under (a DBN category or a DSTU EN 13201 class) and its result: the pole height and spacing.

Checklist before ordering poles

• the category, subclass and road surface type, the traffic intensity, the widths of the carriageway and footways, and the pole layout;
• a list of intersections, at-grade pedestrian crossings and public transport stops, so that the designer can check the requirements for these places against the current text of the standard;
• the distance to windows of dwellings and hospital wards, and the expected height of tree crowns: DBN advises avoiding screening of the light by vegetation;
• the luminaire photometric data (for example, an IES or LDT file) and the construction region for the wind load, see Wind Regions of Ukraine;
• the current edition: DBN V.2.5-28:2018 applies with Amendment No. 1 (from 1 January 2026); treat the 2018 figures in this article as a guide and take the values for the project from the up-to-date text of the standard.

For an approximate selection use the calculator; the data to include in a request are listed in How to Order Poles and Masts.