The Transportation Department maintains more than 44,000 streetlights, but not all streetlights in Mesa are maintained by the City of Mesa.

There are several areas in the City where the lights are maintained by private property owners or by Salt River Project:

• Trailer parks
• Apartment complexes
• Private parking lots
• Private subdivisions
• Gated communities
• Private property
• Areas that have a Mesa mailing address but are on County islands, such as:
  • Dreamland Villa
  • Leisure World
  • Thunder Mountain
• Special Improvement Districts that created agreements with Maricopa County prior to annexation into the City, such as:
  • Apache Wells
  • Desert Sands
  • Arizona Skies
  • Golden Hills
  • Fountain of the Sun
  • Twin Knolls

For a City of Mesa streetlight, it normally takes our crews up to four weeks to repair. Some circumstances, such as stolen wire, a loss of power, or vehicle damage could delay the repair further.

To report outages or issues with a City of Mesa streetlight:

• Use the online reporting system
• Call Transportation at 480-644-2160 or 480-644-2262 after hours

To report SRP outages or for more information on renting lighting for private property, contact Salt River Project at 602-236-8888.

Streetlight Repairs and Facts

Energy Efficient LED Streetlights

The City of Mesa is using energy efficient LED streetlights on several new projects in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, while still providing quality lighting.  LED lighting has a longer life (up to 15 years), is less expensive to maintain, and uses roughly 40% less energy than traditional streetlights.  LED streetlights are being used in several residential neighborhoods and will be installed in the Eastmark Community, along Southern Avenue in the Fiesta District and in Downtown Mesa along the light rail extension as construction progresses on these projects.

Pole Numbers

City of Mesa streetlights are not numbered, however there is a number on the light fixture that indicates the wattage of the lamp: 10 =100 watts, 15= 150 watts, 40 = 400 watts, etc.  When reporting an outage, we ask that you provide a precise location or address of the outage. 

If a streetlight has a number on the pole, that means it is owned and maintained by Salt River Project and not the City of Mesa. Please call Salt River Project at 602-236-8888 to report any outages or concerns regarding their poles.

Cycling Lamp

High-pressure sodium lamps have an expected lifespan of five to six years but must warm up for a few minutes to produce full luminance.  Failing lamps draw excessive electric current and will shutdown until they cool off and can restart again.  This off/on pattern is called Cycling.  As the lamp gets older the "on" time shortens until it is off most of the time.

Day-Burning Lamp or Circuit

A photocell is a light-sensing switch on top of the luminaire that turns the light on at dusk and off at dawn.  The photocell may be connected to a lighting control cabinet and turn on multiple lights hooked in to the circuit. When a photocell is damaged, the light or lights will remain on during the day.  Operation of the lights during the day not only wastes energy but also shortens the lifespan of the lamp and its components.

Multiple Outages

Multiple outages typically occur when several adjacent streetlights are out. This may result from a failure in the lighting control cabinet or in the underground wires.  Circuit outages are treated as high priority because of the large areas effected.

Knock Downs, Vandalism, Exposed Wires

Last year, 73 streetlights were damaged by vehicles requiring full replacement or major repairs. In addition, 108,019 feet of copper wire were stolen, 148 poles were replaced due to rust damage, and vandals broke out numerous streetlight lenses with pellet and paintball guns. Please report any vandalism to the Mesa Police Department.  Always stay clear of a pole that has been hit, is moving excessively, has loose components that are hanging down, or has any exposed wires.

Transportation Streetlight Manual

New standards manual was released in October 2024.

Signing

The Transportation Department fabricates, installs, repairs and maintains the traffic control and street name signs in Mesa. There are nearly 60,000 of these signs located throughout the City. The destruction or theft of traffic signs is a tremendous safety hazard. Some signs are essential for public safety and are handled as emergencies and replaced within 24 hours. These would include Stop, Yield, Do-Not-Enter, One Way, Detour, many Warning signs and School signs. 

Striping

The Transportation Department is responsible for installing and maintaining traffic pavement markings in the City of Mesa. An example is the yellow lines that separate traffic that flows in opposite directions. The City paints more than 1,700 miles of lines per year along with crosswalks, stop bars, symbols and curbs.