2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Hamilton County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Hamilton County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Cities set lighting standards through their zoning codes. Carmel requires lighting adjacent to residential areas to be a shielded 'down lighting' type and caps light crossing residential lot lines at 0.1 foot-candle.
Carmel UDO § 3.92(B)(5)
All lights within gas station canopies and adjacent to residential areas shall be of a "down lighting" type with the light element completely shielded on all sides and top.
Light spilling from a neighbor's fixture onto your property is a city zoning matter, not a county one. Carmel's UDO bars any lighting from causing illumination at or beyond a lot line above 0.1 foot-candle, giving code enforcement a measurable standard.
Carmel UDO § 5.02(B)(4)
Lighting: No lighting shall cause Illumination at or beyond any Lot Line in excess of 0.1 Foot-candle of light.
1 cities in Hamilton County have their own outdoor lighting rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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