Colonie's Outdoor Lighting: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles outdoor lighting a little differently. In Colonie, New York, there are 2 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.

Dark Sky Rules

In the Pine Bush-influenced portions of Colonie's Conservation Development Overlay, exterior security and parking lot lighting must use high-pressure sodium vapor fixtures rather than mercury vapor or other lighting, and the code discourages excessive dusk-to-dawn lighting to protect the Preserve's nocturnal habitat.

Key details: Fixture requirement: High-pressure sodium vapor, not mercury vapor. Applies within: Conservation Development Overlay, Pine Bush-influenced areas. Covers: Exterior security and parking lot lighting. Dusk-to-dawn lighting: Discouraged, not an outright ban. Administering department: Planning and Economic Development Department (PEDD).

A site plan in the Pine Bush overlay that specifies mercury vapor or other non-sodium exterior security or parking lighting fails the mandatory fixture standard in § 190-30H(5). PEDD administers the Conservation Overlay under § 190-33A, and the Planning Board can withhold or condition site plan approval until the lighting plan is revised to high-pressure sodium fixtures.

Billboard Lighting

Colonie's billboard law requires every light source on a billboard to be shielded and aimed at the sign face, never toward the street or a neighboring property. Billboards may still show digital public-service content, but the illumination itself must not be visible off the billboard.

Key details: Shielding rule: Light confined to billboard face, away from neighbors. Visibility limit: Light source not visible from street or adjoining land. Maintenance duty: Structure and lighting kept free of hazards. Revocation notice: 14 days written notice before permit revoked. Immediate peril: Town may remove hazardous billboard without notice.

Unshielded or misdirected billboard lighting is a maintenance failure under § 190-84(B)(7) and § 190-84(E)(3)(f); the Director of the Building Department can revoke the permit 14 days after written notice if the hazard isn't fixed, and a defect posing immediate peril lets the Town remove the billboard right away without any notice at all.

The Bottom Line

Colonie'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 Colonie is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Colonie 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.