Outdoor Lighting in Minneapolis, MN (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Minneapolis, Minnesota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Minneapolis caps site lighting at half a footcandle on residential lot lines and requires cutoff fixtures above 2,000 lumens under the zoning code's lighting performance standard.
Minneapolis Outdoor Lighting Glare Limits
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 20 (Zoning Code), § 550.2230(b)(1)-(2)
Lighting fixtures shall be effectively arranged so as not to directly or indirectly cause illumination or glare in excess of one-half (½) footcandle measured at the closest property line of any permitted or conditional residential use, and five (5) footcandles measured at the street curb line or nonresidential property line nearest the light source. Lighting fixtures shall not exceed two thousa...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Minneapolis caps outdoor lighting spillover at one-half footcandle onto the nearest residential property line and five footcandles at the street curb or a nonresidential line, with fixtures over 2,000 lumens required to be shielded.
Minneapolis Outdoor Lighting and Glare Limits
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 20 (Zoning Code), § 550.2230
Lighting fixtures shall be effectively arranged so as not to directly or indirectly cause illumination or glare in excess of one-half (½) footcandle measured at the closest property line of any permitted or conditional residential use, and five (5) footcandles measured at the street curb line or nonresidential property line nearest the light source.
Billboard Lighting
Off-premises billboards in Minneapolis's General Billboard District are lighting-capped at 7,000 nits from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 500 nits overnight, with animated and flashing displays banned outright.
Minneapolis Billboard Lighting Nits Cap
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 20 (Zoning Code), § 560.330, Table 560-5 (General Billboard District Standards)
Lighted sign Permitted subject to luminance regulation; not facing urban neighborhood or residential mixed-use districts. Luminance: Maximum of seven thousand (7,000) nits from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and maximum of five hundred (500) nits from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Looking for Hennepin County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Minneapolis city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Hennepin County →