Apple Valley, MN Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 155.353(A) of the Apple Valley Code of Ordinances is the shielding rule, and it applies in all districts. Any lighting used to illuminate an off-street parking area or sign must be arranged to deflect light away from any adjoining residential zone or from the public streets. Direct glare from floodlights or similar sources cannot be directed into any adjoining property or public streets, and the source of all lights must be hooded or controlled in some manner so as not to light adjacent property. The code does not use a dark-sky label, but the requirement is the same in practice: fixtures are shielded so light stays on the site that needs it.

The section goes past a general goal and lists tools. Mitigative measures must be employed to limit glare and spill light, to protect neighboring parcels and to maintain traffic safety on public roads, and they include lenses, shields, louvers, prismatic control devices and limitations on the height and type of fixtures. The city can also limit the hours of operation of outdoor lighting if it deems that necessary to reduce impacts on the surrounding neighborhood, so a business with a permitted parking lot can still face a curfew on its lights.

Subsection (B) adds a design standard for new and renovated outdoor sports and recreational facilities that adjoin residential uses: fixtures must eliminate reflected glare and spill light from the bottom one-third of the reflector and shield the view of the arc tube from the residential property. Subsection (C) requires all canopy lighting to be permitted only under the canopy structure, using canister spot lights or shoebox lights recessed into the canopy, with no portion of the light source or fixture extending below the bottom face of the canopy. Subsection (D) allows the city to require a light distribution plan if it deems that necessary to ensure compliance.

Other sections carry the same principle. Open sales lots under § 155.355(E) need a lighting system designed so no direct source of light is visible from the public right-of-way or adjacent land, and § 155.356(F) requires city approval of motor fuel station lighting.