An existing streetlight that has stopped working and a neighborhood asking for its first public lights need different responses. Hillsborough County routes an outage to Tampa Electric; a new residential lighting district requires a petition, public hearing and County Commission decision. A repair report does not start that district process.
Which request are you making?
| Situation | Starting point | What to establish |
|---|---|---|
| Existing streetlight is out | County’s Street Light Outages page, which directs the report to TECO | Location and which existing light is affected |
| Residents want new neighborhood lighting | Hillsborough Traffic Services, 813-635-5400 | Whether the unincorporated neighborhood can use the residential lighting-district process |
| An HOA already pays for lighting | The association’s lighting arrangement | Who manages that existing service before starting another request |
The County’s new-light instructions cover unincorporated Hillsborough. They do not establish the rules for Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace, or prove that a privately owned light is County lighting.
A district creates an annual assessment, not free installation
The County describes two residential arrangements: a special district funded through an assessment on the property tax bill, or lighting funded through homeowners-association fees. In a special district, the charge is annual and paid in advance. The assessment uses property frontage rather than simply charging every parcel the same amount.
The district cost can include planning, engineering, installation, maintenance, trimming and electricity. Ask for the proposed boundary, lighting type and approximate cost before deciding whether to support it. TECO installs and maintains the lights under the County’s described arrangement; that utility role does not replace the County approval process.
What happens between the first call and installation
The County obtains a lighting plan from TECO and provides the proposed district boundary, light type, approximate cost, plan and petition material. A majority of property owners must support the petition. The instructions also describe checking registered voters when that petitioning method applies; confirm the County’s eligible-signature rules rather than treating an informal neighborhood poll as sufficient.
Once the petition and other requirements are met, the County schedules an annual public hearing with notice and an opportunity for objections. The Board of County Commissioners decides whether to approve the district. Only an approved district advances to authorization of TECO’s installation.
The County describes installation within an October 1-to-following-October 1 period after approval. That is not a one-year countdown from a resident’s first call or signature. Because assessments are collected in advance, a bill can arrive before lights are installed.
Questions to settle before signing
- Is this parcel inside the proposed district boundary?
- What frontage and approximate annual assessment apply to it?
- Which light type and locations does the proposed plan show?
- What signatures are eligible, and what hearing/installation cycle is being pursued?
- If existing HOA lighting is involved, how will the two arrangements differ?
These are LSL’s comparison questions drawn from the County’s published process, not a cost estimate or a completed petition. We reviewed both County pages on September 21, 2026; we did not inspect a light, submit a report, calculate an assessment or obtain approval for a district.