Outdoor Lighting in Evanston, IL (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Evanston, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Evanston caps outdoor lighting at half a foot-candle measured at the property line. Section 402.4 of the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted and enforced as Evanston City Code Section 5-1-3, bars exterior lighting that causes light trespass or glare onto neighboring properties and the public way, with narrow exceptions for motion-activated security lights and holiday lighting.
Evanston Dark-Sky Exterior Lighting Rule
Some RestrictionsEvanston City Code § 5-1-3 (2021 International Property Maintenance Code § 402.4)
402.4 Exterior lighting. Exterior lighting shall not cause light trespass and shall protect adjacent properties and public ways from glare and excessive lighting. Light level at any property line is limited to one-half (0.5) foot-candle unless otherwise regulated by city code. Exception: 1.Security lighting: Exterior lighting installed primarily for safety or emergency shall be permitted prov...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Evanston caps exterior lighting at one-half foot-candle measured at the property line, barring glare and light trespass onto neighboring properties and public ways.
Evanston Light Trespass Property Limit
Some RestrictionsEvanston City Code § 5-1-3 (Property Maintenance Code § 402.4)
402.4 Exterior lighting. Exterior lighting shall not cause light trespass and shall protect adjacent properties and public ways from glare and excessive lighting. Light level at any property line is limited to one-half (0.5) foot-candle unless otherwise regulated by city code. Exception: 1.Security lighting: Exterior lighting installed primarily for safety or emergency shall be permitted ...
Billboard Lighting
Illuminated signs in Evanston, including any billboard-type structure, cannot exceed 75 foot-candles of brightness, dropping to 50 in residential zoning districts and 1 on adjoining residential property.
Evanston Limits Illuminated Sign Brightness
Some RestrictionsEvanston City Code § 6-19-7(M)(5)
Brightness Limitation. In no instance shall the lighting intensity of any sign, whether resulting from internal illumination or external illumination, exceed: a. Seventy-five (75) foot-candles measured perpendicular to the face of the sign from a distance equal to the narrowest dimension of the sign; or b. When the sign is located in a residential zoning district, fifty (50) foot-candles...; or...
Looking for Cook County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Evanston city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Cook County →