Outdoor Lighting in Bristol, PA (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Bristol, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, requires every outdoor light to have a full cutoff fixture, meaning no light is projected at or above a horizontal plane at the bottom of the fixture. Free-standing fixtures are limited to a 15-foot pole and must be directed downward. Section 27-511 bars overhead light pollution from unshielded or bright lights.
Bristol Borough Outdoor Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsBristol Borough Code § 27-511
1. General Standards. ... Outdoor lighting for all residential and nonresidential uses shall be designed to minimize undesirable off-premises effects. ... Overhead light pollution caused by unshielded or bright lights shall not be permitted. ... D. All lights shall have a full cutoff fixture, which is defined as a light fixture with light distribution pattern that results in no light being proj...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, bars any use from producing glare off the premises and caps light from a site at 0.10 footcandles at lot lines not along public roadways and 0.30 footcandles along public roadways. Section 27-511 also prohibits any bare or direct light source visible beyond the lot lines.
Bristol Borough Light Trespass and Glare Limits
Some RestrictionsBristol Borough Code § 27-511
A. No use shall produce glare off the premises by illumination originating on the premises. Glare is defined as the sensation produced by light within the visual field that is sufficiently greater than the light to which the eyes are adapted and which cause annoyance, discomfort, or loss in visual performance or visibility, for any period of time, no matter how short in duration. B. No bare or ...
Billboard Lighting
In Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, every luminaire lighting a billboard must be full cutoff, and externally illuminated signs and billboards must be lighted from the top of the structure and aimed downwards. The rule is in § 22-524 of the Borough Code; billboards themselves are zoned separately in § 27-602.
Bristol Borough Billboard Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsBristol Borough Code § 22-524
J. Sign, Facade, Building, and Landscape Lighting. (1) The requirements of this subsection apply to all outdoor lighting installations employed to illuminate signs, building facades, billboards, structures, fountains, trees, shrubs, and the like. (2) All luminaires used for illumination of the above-mentioned amenities shall be full cutoff. (3) Externally illuminated signs and billboards shall ...
Looking for Bucks County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bristol city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Bucks County →