Outdoor Lighting in Carver County, MN (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Carver County, Minnesota.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Yard lights in unincorporated Carver County get a narrow setback exemption under § 152.034(C)(2): they can sit as close as three feet from a lot line only if the luminaire itself is full-cutoff or fully shielded, keeping the light source from spilling directly outward.
Carver County Outdoor Light Shielding Rule
Some RestrictionsCarver County Code of Ordinances § 152.034(C)(2)
Yard lights and signs provided they are located three feet or more from all lot lines. Luminaries must be full-cutoff or fully shielded.
Light Trespass & Shielding
Security and parking-area lighting in unincorporated Carver County cannot send glare toward a public road or a neighbor's residential property, and § 152.034(C)(2) draws a hard number on top of that: no more than three foot-candles of light intensity at a residential property line.
Carver County Light Trespass Limit
Some RestrictionsCarver County Code of Ordinances § 152.034(C)(2)
Lights for illuminated parking or loading areas or yards for safety and security purposes may be installed where necessary provided that glare is not visible from public right-of-way or adjacent residential property and not more than three foot candles of light intensity is present at a residential property line.
Billboard Lighting
Carver County bans flashing or rotating sign lights outright and requires any floodlight on a sign to be aimed at the sign itself, not at the street or a neighboring lot. Because the county also prohibits all off-premise advertising signs, true billboards can't be built in unincorporated Carver County at all; on-premise electrical and pylon signs are what the § 154.22 lighting standard actually governs.
Carver County Illuminated and Billboard Sign Lighting Rule
Some RestrictionsCarver County Code of Ordinances § 154.22
(A) Electrical signs may be permitted, but devices giving off intermittent, flashing or rotating beam of light shall be prohibited. Flood lighting shall be focused upon the sign. No lighting for signs shall directly reflect light beams onto any public street or residential structure. Signs may not be illuminated beyond any lot line. (B) Electrical signs must be installed in accordance with the ...
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