Streetlight Outages or Damage

Depending on the location, repairing malfunctioning streetlights located within KCMO is either the responsibility of the City or the Missouri Department of Transportation. The City maintains most street lights on arterial, collector and residential streets with the exception of decorative lights owned by private or neighborhood organizations. 

• You can assist the maintenance process by reporting the number marked on the streetlight pole and the nearest street address to the light along with a good description of the problem. (Read below for tips on reporting broken streetlights to 311).
• Please mention if wires are down or exposed.
• Always stay clear of exposed wires, broken poles or tree limbs in contact with electrical systems.

Reporting Broken Streetlights

Please report streetlight problems to 311.

Use the following tips when reporting the streetlight issue so maintenance staff can best address the problem. 

Pole/Light Number Location

TIP: Include the pole ID number to positively locate the pole.

KCMO maintained streetlights have ID numbers with three letters and four numbers arranged vertically. For example "SAH 1621." The ID decal is black on white and found on the side of the pole, facing the street, about 8 feet above the ground.

Cycling Lamp

TIP: Report a light that goes on and off unexpectedly as "cycling." 

High-pressure sodium bulbs have an expected life of 4-5 years but must warm up for few minutes to produce light. Old or failing bulbs draw excessive electric current when starting, causing other components to overheat until fail-safe devices cut off the power. After the units cool, the bulb attempts to restart. As the lamp ages and deteriorates, the on time gets progressively shorter.

Day-Burning Light

TIP: Report lights operating in full daylight as "day burners." 

A light-sensing switch or photocell on top of the luminaire turns it on at dusk and off at dawn. A luminaire remains on when the photocell fails or is damaged. The energy charge for streetlights is calculated based on the annual hours of darkness. Even though the cost of the power does not change, operation of the light during the day diminishes the life of the bulb and other components and wastes electrical energy.

Multiple Outages

TIP: When you notice a light is not working, check other streetlights in the area. If appropriate, mention the fact that multiple lights are out.

Typically several adjacent streetlights, up to 6 or 8, are linked together on a common circuit. If the wire in that circuit, either above or underground is cut or broken for whatever reason, several lights may not operate leaving large areas in the dark.

Knocked down, loose or missing components

TIP: Stay clear of a pole that has been hit and promptly report any lighting component that appears to be moving excessively. 

There is a surprising amount of vibration and pressure on streetlight poles, mast arms, fixtures and wires caused by passing traffic, wind and nearby trees. Poles that have been hit or are leaning as a result of traffic crashes can be dangerous. Such forces can cause these sturdily built items to loosen and fall open. The presence of electrical energy makes loose components more dangerous.

Safety tip:

Always call 1-800-DIG-RITE at least 48 hours before digging anywhere near the perimeter of your property, where there may be underground streetlight wires or other types of utility service lines. Owners of underground utility lines will locate and mark their facilities so that excavations can be performed safely and services not interrupted.