Outdoor Lighting in Scranton, PA (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Scranton requires every outdoor light fixture to be shielded and aimed so glare stays off neighboring lots and streets, and it caps how much light can spill across a property line, with a stricter limit in residential zones than in commercial and industrial ones.
Scranton Outdoor Lighting Glare Standards
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-25
All uses shall direct, deflect, and shield lights and control the intensity of lights and illuminated signs to avoid nuisances and to prevent glare onto other properties and streets. Lights shall not shine directly into the normal line of sight of motorists. ... All outdoor lighting shall be designed, installed, located, and maintained so that nuisance glare onto adjacent lots or streets shall ...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Scranton's zoning code requires every outdoor light fixture to be shielded and aimed so glare stops at the property line. Residential zones cap spillover at just 0.10 foot-candles measured at the lot line, and commercial zones at 0.20, both checked three feet above grade.
Scranton Bars Light Trespass Onto Neighboring Lots
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-25.A(1), (3)
All uses shall direct, deflect, and shield lights and control the intensity of lights and illuminated signs to avoid nuisances and to prevent glare onto other properties and streets. Lights shall not shine directly into the normal line of sight of motorists. ... All outdoor lighting shall be designed, installed, located, and maintained so that nuisance glare onto adjacent lots or streets shall ...
Billboard Lighting
Scranton ties a billboard's required setback from housing directly to whether the sign is lit: an off-premises sign normally needs 250 feet from a residential lot line, but that drops to 200 feet if the sign's illumination is not visible from that line. A separate, non-mandatory rule discourages lighting any sign within 200 feet of a home overnight.
Scranton Billboard Illumination Setback Rule
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-52B; § 445-57F(8)(a)
B. Times of illumination. It is strongly encouraged that signs within 200 feet of a dwelling not be illuminated between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. ... Two hundred fifty feet from a "residential lot" line except 200 feet if the illumination of the sign would not be visible from the "residential lot" line;