Department of Public Works

Street Lighting and Traffic Control

Street Lighting and Traffic Control

The Street Lighting and Traffic Control Department maintains The City of Frederick’s street lights, traffic signals and roadway signs providing public safety for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Services We Provide:

Installation and maintenance of over 7,960 street lights
Installation and maintenance / repair of 72 signalized intersections
Installation and maintenance of street name and traffic control signs
Installation and maintenance of traffic control pavement markings

Did you know we...

Paint / maintain 240 miles of street lines and painted curbs
Provide over 250,000 Christmas lights for downtown decorations during the Christmas holidays

What do I do if I notice that a street light is out?

Please report all street light malfunctions to the Department of Public Works at (301) 600-1440. When you call please be prepared to give an exact location of the street light and a description of the street light malfunction.

Street light malfunctions – please cite one of the following malfunctions when notifying the City of a street light problem in order to expedite troubleshooting and repair.

Single light fixture out and remains out – When a single light fixture is out and remains out, it is typically an indication that the bulb needs to be replaced. The City of Frederick maintains a weekly list of single light malfunctions and addresses them collectively each Monday. Addressing a group of lights in this manner allows the City to maintain efficiency and control costs.
Single light fixture repeatedly flickers out and relights – This pattern is typically an indication that the bulb is nearing the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. The City of Frederick maintains a weekly list of such single light malfunctions and addresses them collectively each Monday.
Multiple light fixtures out and remain out – When a group of lights is out, it is generally an indication that the street light circuit’s underground wiring or above-ground controls have failed. This type of failure will typically affect the streetlights on a single street, or on several streets within one neighborhood. When notified of this type of failure, the City will dispatch a Public Works technician to investigate. The technician’s primary objective is to ensure that the electrical circuit’s malfunction poses no threat to public safety. If the technician can repair the malfunction at that time they will proceed to do so. If the malfunction is more serious, the failure will be addressed during the next workday.
Multiple light fixtures are dim – This could be an indication that there is a fault in the underground power distribution and control circuits. The City will address this issue in the same manner as stated above for “Multiple light fixtures out and remain out”.