Outdoor Lighting in Akron, OH (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Akron, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Akron's Form-Based Zoning Code caps outdoor light spillage at the right-of-way to an average of 2.5 footcandles and bars fixtures from shining onto neighboring properties or the street. Parking-lot lights top out at 30 feet, pedestrian-area poles at 15 feet, and nearly every fixture must be full cutoff (shielded) under Sec. 4.4.3.
Akron Outdoor Site Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Akron Form-Based Zoning Code § 4.4.3 (Outdoor Site Lighting)
A. Design and Installation 1. The maximum light level of any light fixture measured at the right-of-way line of a street cannot exceed an average of 2.5 footcandles. The uniformity ratio should be no more than 4:1. 2. Light sources must have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) value of 80 or higher. 3. Site lighting must not be oriented onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks. 4. Service con...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Akron's Zoning Code does not set a footcandle or fixture-shielding limit for residential lighting; instead Section 153.300(D) bars any exterior lighting that impairs safe traffic movement on a street or highway or otherwise creates a nuisance. A neighbor with a genuine glare or spillover problem has to show the light rises to that nuisance-or-traffic-hazard standard.
Akron Exterior Lighting Nuisance Standard
Light RestrictionsAkron City Code § 153.300(D)
D.Exterior Lighting. No exterior lighting shall in any way impair safe movement of traffic on any street or highway or otherwise create a nuisance.
Looking for Summit County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Akron city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Summit County →