Brockton's Outdoor Lighting: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles outdoor lighting a little differently. In Brockton, Massachusetts, there are 3 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Billboard Lighting

Digital billboards approved along the Route 24 corridor must run automatic light-level controls and follow the state's brightness standards under 700 CMR 3.00 before the zoning board of appeals will sign off, per City Code Sec. 27-73(6)(g). Sec. 27-73(6)(h) separately bars any glare that reaches a residential property or creates a traffic hazard on a public way.

Key details: Brightness standard: Must comply with 700 CMR 3.00. Light controls: Automatic level controls required. Glare ban: No glare onto residential property or roadway. Approving body: Zoning board of appeals. Governing section: City Code § 27-73(6)(g)-(h).

A board that violates the brightness or glare standards is not entitled to a special permit in the first place; the zoning board of appeals can deny the application under Sec. 27-73(6) or, for a board already built, revoke or attach new conditions to an issued special permit under Sec. 27-73(8). The superintendent of buildings can also order repair or removal of a nonconforming sign structure under Sec. 27-64(1), and appeals proceed under Sec. 27-48.

Dark Sky Rules

Inside the Thatcher Street Smart Growth Overlay District (TSSGOD), City Code § 27-155(3)(a) bars site lighting from spilling upward into the night sky, a shielding-style rule that reads directly onto the design standards the planning board applies during site plan review. Uplighting is allowed only for entrances, site signage and architectural features.

Key details: Applies to: TSSGOD development projects only. Core rule: No lighting upwards into night sky. Exception: Uplighting for entrances, signage, architectural features only. Enforcement: Site plan review by approving authority. Adopted: Ord. No. K13, 12-30-17.

Because Sec. 27-155 standards are enforced through site plan review, a lighting plan that would create overspill into the night sky can be grounds for the approving authority to deny or condition approval of the development project, similar to the approval criteria that apply to the DBSGOD under Sec. 27-100. There is no separate per-violation fine written into Sec. 27-155 itself for skyward light spill.

Light Trespass & Shielding

Development projects inside the Thatcher Street Smart Growth Overlay District (TSSGOD) cannot let site lighting overspill onto adjacent properties, per City Code § 27-155(3)(a). The rule is paired with a narrow uplighting exception and reviewed as part of site plan approval rather than through a separate lighting permit.

Key details: Applies to: TSSGOD development projects only. Core rule: No lighting overspill onto adjacent properties. Exception: Uplighting for entrances, signage, architectural features only. Enforcement: Site plan review by approving authority. Similar rule elsewhere: MCMOD § 27-181(b)(7) glare/overspill standard.

A lighting plan that would overspill onto an adjacent property under Sec. 27-155(3)(a) is a design-standards failure the approving authority can cite in denying or conditioning site plan approval for the development project, the same review mechanism used for the DBSGOD's design standards under Sec. 27-100. Sec. 27-155 does not set a separate dollar fine for light trespass onto a neighboring lot.

The Bottom Line

Brockton's outdoor lighting rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Brockton is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Brockton can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.