West Hartford, CT Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Section 177-25 of the West Hartford Zoning Code, part of Chapter 177 which the Town Council enacted as the zoning authority under Chapter XII of the Town Charter (which expressly authorizes regulation of the height, size and location of advertising signs and billboards), governs the lighting of any sign in Town, including a billboard. The rule is a shielding standard, not a lumens or footcandle cap: spotlighting, floodlighting and any other outdoor lighting aimed at a sign face must be shielded so the light source itself cannot be seen from adjacent properties.

The Town carved out one narrow exception, permitting signs with exposed neon tubes in business and industrial districts only; that exception does not extend to residential districts or to any other bare light source. Because West Hartford's sign schedule under Section 177-33 does not list an off-premise advertising sign as a permitted use in any zoning district, freestanding billboards are not established uses in Town, but any sign lighting fixture, projector or spotlight aimed at a sign face on a lawful lot is still bound by the shielding rule.

The Department of Community Development, through its zoning enforcement staff, reviews lighting plans submitted with sign permit applications and can require glare studies or shielding retrofits before a certificate of zoning compliance issues. Complaints about unshielded sign lighting go to the Town Planner's office, which logs every written, signed complaint and reports investigations monthly to the Town Council.