Outdoor Lighting in Somerville, MA (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Somerville, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Light Trespass & Shielding
Somerville's Outdoor Lighting standards exist 'to minimize adverse impacts of lighting such as light trespass, obtrusive light spillover, and harmful glare,' per §10.6.2.c, and back that purpose with a fixture-shielding rule: in the Neighborhood and Urban Residential districts, §10.6.4.d requires outdoor luminaires to be full cutoff or fully shielded, emitting no light above the horizontal plane.
Somerville Outdoor Lighting Trespass Rules
Some RestrictionsSomerville Zoning Ordinance §10.6.2.c and §10.6.4.d (Outdoor Lighting)
10.6.2 Purpose c. To minimize adverse impacts of lighting such as light trespass, obtrusive light spillover, and harmful glare. 10.6.4 Lighting Standards d. Light Fixtures i. The following standards are applicable for all permitted building types in the NR district and all permitted building types, excluding Apartment Buildings, in the UR district: a). All outdoor luminaires must be full cutof...
Billboard Lighting
Somerville's Zoning Ordinance bans billboards outright, so no billboard-lighting standard exists because no billboard may lawfully stand in the city. Section 10.8.3 lists the only eleven sign types permitted by right and prohibits every other type, expressly naming billboards, monument signs, and pylon signs as prohibited.
Somerville Billboard Lighting Rules
Heavy RestrictionsSomerville Zoning Ordinance § 10.8.3(a)
The following commercial sign types are permitted by right: a). Blade Sign b). Wall Sign c). Awning or Canopy Sign d). Suspended Sign e). Sidewalk Sign f). Window Sign g). Display Case h). Vertical Blade or Banner Sign i). Yard Sign j). Wall Mural k). Roof or Skyline Sign. ... Commercial sign types not identified in this Section including. but not limited to, billboards, monument signs, and pyl...