Understand how to request maintenance for street lighting

Many people have questions about how to request maintenance for street lighting, especially when problems such as burning out, turning off, flickering, oscillating, or even lighting during the day lamps appear on their street.

According to Brazilian legislation, the lighting of streets is the responsibility of municipalities, as well as their maintenance. However, it is necessary to know how to report the possible problems that arise.

With this in mind, we have prepared this post with important information about street lighting maintenance. If you are interested in the topic, keep reading to check out all the details. Don’t miss it!

Who is responsible for street lighting?

If we consider history, street lighting was one of the factors that made urban life possible. Before the development of the light bulb and electric technology, different types of combustible materials were used to light the fire that illuminated cities, such as kerosene, whale oil, among others.

The lighting of public spaces at night by street lamps is essential for the quality of life in modern urban centers, since it provides safety, comfort, visibility, etc.

To have street lighting on streets or public squares, it is necessary to have the coordination of electric power distribution companies and municipal governments since, as we mentioned, the municipality is responsible for public lighting, as it is a local public service of essential interest.

The agency responsible for the current conditions of electricity supply for street lighting is Aneel (National Electric Energy Agency). In practice, the investment for the maintenance and operation of the poles is shared between municipalities and regional distributors to which the service provision was granted.

The street lighting assets that are the responsibility of the municipality are the poles, the lamps, and other accessory equipment, such as relays and reactors. The substation, in turn, is the set of conductors, equipment, and devices that aim to change the characteristics of electrical energy, such as current and voltage, allowing its distribution to consumption points at suitable levels for use, such as urban public lighting poles.

The legislation also determines that municipalities can charge a fee for street lighting maintenance through a law that must be itemized on the energy bill so that the consumer knows how much is actually charged for the public service.

Thus, it is the responsibility of the municipal government to maintain, install, and replace the infrastructure (especially lamps) of street lighting.

When should street lighting maintenance be requested?

There are several situations in which it is necessary to request street lighting maintenance, especially in cases where its malfunction disrupts the lives of those who pass through the location, such as:

• Burnt-out lamp;
• Flickering light;
• Off pole;
• Oscillating lighting;
• Replacement of stolen wires to restore the lighting network;
• Among others.

It is also possible to request improvement or implementation of street lighting if it is absent or insufficient. In this case, it is ideal to request this type of service directly with the local authority, such as the municipality or sub-municipality.

In the city of São Paulo, for example, it is necessary to request the service in person at a Descomplica SP unit. To do so, simply fill out a form that will be analyzed by the responsible parties, and a technical inspection is scheduled to be done at the indicated location to observe the conditions of the address.

At this point, the Street Lighting Department observes factors such as existing installations in the vicinity, the width and condition of the road, suitable locations for the installation of new points, as well as to determine which accessories and luminaires will be installed.

Finally, a project is developed and the work is executed with the contracted companies to carry out this type of service. However, it is worth noting that, in general, there are rules and steps to be followed in order to install a new point, depending on what has been established by each municipality.

How to request maintenance of street lighting?

According to the regulations established by the National Electric Energy Agency, all issues related to the maintenance or even the expansion of public lighting in a location – such as a burnt-out lamp, a post with a light on during the day, or a burnt-out light at night – should be addressed with the Municipal Government of the address.

For this reason, there is no unified service to make this type of request, since each municipality can establish a different form. However, the Portal 156 is a phone service used by all municipalities in Brazil to receive reports from everyone about municipal issues.

Therefore, one of the main ways to report any problem with street lighting or inform the need for maintenance is through the 156 Customer Service Center. Through this number, it is possible not only to make requests and complaints, but also to clarify doubts, make comments, and suggestions.

Who can make this type of request?

Another common question related to street lighting concerns the people who can request its maintenance, improvement, installation or repair. However, be aware that this is not a problem.

In practice, the request can be made by all citizens who feel affected or disturbed by the lighting problem, simply by contacting the municipality to report the issue.

The most relevant point is to provide the maximum amount of information related to the type of problem and address, as it is not uncommon for the team sent to solve the problem not to find the location, generating the need for rework, as it is necessary to return to the location later to search and maintain it again.

In many situations, it is even necessary to contact the person who reported the case again to collect more information. Therefore, to avoid problems with the efficiency of the service flow, such as the frustration of residents waiting for the repair, it is recommended to collect and provide all necessary information to the municipality in the first contact.

Now that you know how to request maintenance of street lighting, you must have realized its importance, right?! After all, lighting on roads provides more security for local residents, for example. Therefore, if you notice any type of problem, do not hesitate to report it.

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