Outdoor Lighting in Ankeny, IA (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Ankeny, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Light Trespass & Shielding
Ankeny's site plan design standards require exterior lighting to be directed to eliminate impacts on adjoining sites and sized to its intended use rather than as an attraction, under Ankeny Code of Ordinances Section 192.02(3)(A)(8). Planning and Building reviews this at site plan approval, before any building permit issues.
Ankeny Site Lighting Trespass Rule
Light RestrictionsAnkeny Code of Ordinances § 192.02(3)(A)(8)
(8) Exterior lighting, when used, shall enhance the building design and the adjoining landscape. All lighting should be appropriate to the use of the building and surrounding properties with intensity of illumination limited to its intended use and not as an attraction to the site. Lighting shall be directed to eliminate impacts on adjoining sites.
Billboard Lighting
In the City of Ankeny, Iowa, a converted digital advertising sign may not exceed 5,000 NITS of brightness during daylight or 500 NITS from dusk to dawn under § 195.07(5)(A)(4). Section 195.07(5)(A)(5) requires an automatic dimmer or ambient light monitor to step the sign down for the night period, and images must hold for at least eight seconds without motion.
Ankeny Digital Billboard Brightness Limits
Some RestrictionsAnkeny Code of Ordinances § 195.07(5)(A)(4)-(5)
(4) The maximum brightness of the digital advertising sign shall not exceed a luminance of 5,000 NITS during daylight hours. The maximum brightness of the sign shall not exceed a luminance of 500 NITS during the period from dusk to dawn. (5) The digital advertising sign shall have an automatic dimmer control or ambient light monitors to produce an illumination change from a higher illum...