Outdoor Lighting in Erie, PA (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Erie, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Light Trespass & Shielding
Erie's Zoning Ordinance Section 206.13(b)(1) requires every outdoor light in the Industrial Park district, spotlights, floodlights, sign lighting, parking and loading-area lighting included, to be focused and aimed so it doesn't throw glare or direct illumination across the property line onto an adjoining street, residential zone, or agricultural district, unless the light is needed to mark a hazard.
Erie Industrial Park Lights Can't Glare Next Door
Some RestrictionsCity of Erie, PA Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 80-2005, as amended through Ord. No. 15-2023), Sec. 206.13(b)(1)
Lighting, including spotlights, floodlights, electrical reflectors and other means of illumination for signs, structures, landscaping, parking areas, loading and unloading areas and the like shall be focused, directed, and so arranged as to prevent glare or direct illumination on streets adjoining property lines, or any residential or agricultural district lines unless required to illuminate a ...
Billboard Lighting
Erie requires every illuminated sign, including billboards regulated under the city's outdoor-advertising rules, to control glare with cutoff fixtures, shields, or baffles rather than vegetation screens, per Zoning Ordinance Section 303.14. Digital displays can only run from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (later for 24-hour businesses) and must self-dim from 5,000 nits by day to 250 nits at night.
Erie's Illuminated Sign and Billboard Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Erie, PA Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 80-2005, as amended through Ord. No. 52-2024), Sec. 303 (intro) and Sec. 303.14
All signs, billboards, and outdoor advertising as prescribed herein shall require a building permit and shall conform to the following standards... 303.14. Illuminated signs shall comply with the following requirements: (a) Light sources to illuminate signs shall not produce glare hazardous or distracting to pedestrians, vehicle drivers, or adjacent properties. (b) Glare control shall be achiev...