I was going to get a mercury vapor light on eBay, and can I use it for outside, for area lighting, or use different type of area lighting? Because, I still want to use them. 

You can use them privately, but in 2008, the guvment banned manufacture of mv fixtures and probe MH. The commercial installation of probe MH and MV lites for street use is also forbidden sadly.

Is Regent Lighting considered still a Manufacture?

Is Regent Lighting considered still a Manufacture?

yes, they still make lights, but they were bought by Cooper.

Ok, but then should I use the clear bulbs or the phrospered bulbs, cause phosphered bulbs make it look like a metal hailde lamp.

Depends on your preferences. Clear would look great with plants but DX coated would make better color rendering if you use it near a deck or patio.

Not in my city (Bloomington, MN). They don't meet CRI and efficiency standards. In addition lights over 3000 lumens need to be full cutoff and no more than .5 fc at any neighbor's property line (sorry, yardblasters)

City set CRI and Efficiency standards for lighting on provate property ? You live in (...) China or something ?

Wait, you mean about me?

Wait, you mean about me?

I think Ash was responding to mdcastle.

But I have to agree with Ash that it would be complete waste of resource to enforce such regulation on private propertys. I dont think there is any will to do that unless you go way overboard and use something like 1kW MH flood on your small back yard. At that point, some upset neighbor may contact police etc.

The CRI/efficacy requirements have nothing to do with protecting neighbor property from light spill

I sent an email to the city. They confirmed that the lighting code requirements, except for the minimum level, apply to both residential and commercial.
So basically LPS, HPS, and Mercury vapor have been banned for new installations in the city since 1996. Only the smallest one of each wattage (below 3000 lumens) would be allowable. My 70 watt HPS wallpack was installed in 1995 and so is grandfathered in.

Aiming it to light inside your property and not spilling out - i understand

The rest - peeps in the Soviet Union did not have this sort of government involvement in what they do on their private property. They really have objection to you putting up a HPS parabolic (that have really little spill outside the desired area), yet no problem with a LED of similar output ?

I sent an email to the city. They confirmed that the lighting code requirements, except for the minimum level, apply to both residential and commercial.
So basically LPS, HPS, and Mercury vapor have been banned for new installations in the city since 1996. Only the smallest one of each wattage (below 3000 lumens) would be allowable. My 70 watt HPS wallpack was installed in 1995 and so is grandfathered in.

Was there any penalty for breaking this code? I'm still skeptical about enforcement of this code in private propertys. Setting up a law or directive and enforcing one is two things. Law and directive books are full of articles that has never really been enforced or are not enforced anymore.

In the US in most jurisdictions a building code violation is an "infraction", or something less than a crime, similar to a parking ticket. Normally what would happen is simply that you'd be ordered to correct it; but fines or even criminal charges would be possible if you repeatedly refused to do so. I get the idea that the lighting code is only really enforced on complaints or new construction; there's still mercury yardblasters in plain site on major streets. But city planning isn't going to say "hey, we're fine with your high pressure sodium light, just respect your neighbors"