Outdoor Lighting in Lakewood, NJ (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Lakewood, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Lakewood Township's lighting article bans 'sky glow' outright and pushes every commercial and parking-lot lighting plan toward sharp cutoff fixtures under UDO § 18-804.02B. The purpose clause in § 18-804A ties the whole article to avoiding needless light pollution, and site plan applicants must submit photometric data before the Board signs off.
Lakewood Township, NJ Outdoor Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood UDO § 18-804.02B, B1
A parking area lighting design that produces "sky glow" is inefficient and an irritant to residents, and will not be permitted. Sharp cutoff type luminaires are recommended as the best approach to lighting parking areas and the fixtures selected shall be of the type that can be provided with sharp cutoff deflectors or refractors. The shielding angle shall be selected to minimize discomforting g...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Residential exterior lighting in Lakewood Township cannot push more than half a footcandle onto a neighbor's property line under UDO § 18-804.06D1. Where a commercial parking lot sits next to a residential zone, the buffer-and-lighting plan has to keep spillover onto the residential area under 0.2 footcandle, per § 18-804.02B4.
Lakewood Township, NJ Light Trespass Limits
Some RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood UDO §§ 18-804.02B4, 18-804.06D1
All exterior residential lighting shall be so designed and installed so that the resultant light spill skyward is minimal, and light impingement levels on adjacent properties shall not exceed one-half (.5) footcandle at the property line. ... The coordinated buffer/lighting plan submitted shall insure that light spill from the parking lot shall not impinge on the residential area in excess of 0...
Billboard Lighting
Lakewood Township caps digital billboard brightness at 0.2 foot-candles above ambient light measured within 150 feet of the sign, and requires an automatic photocell that dims the display and freezes it to a static message on malfunction, under UDO § 18-1019.
Billboard Brightness Limits in Lakewood Township
Some RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood UDO § 18-1019J, L
J. No digital billboard shall be permitted to operate unless it is equipped with the following: 1. A default mechanism that shall freeze the sign in one position as a static message if there is a malfunction; and 2. A mechanism able to automatically adjust the brightness of the display on the billboard according to ambient light conditions by means of a light detector/photocell. ... L. Digital ...