Blaine, MN Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Blaine is not a designated International Dark Sky community and does not have a stand-alone dark-sky ordinance, but it does control outdoor lighting through its zoning performance standards. The Lighting standard (formerly Section 33.13, recodified as Section 129-2, Lighting) is the City's primary lighting control and applies to exterior lighting across use districts, with the general goal of preventing glare and light spillover onto adjacent property and public streets. Related provisions reinforce this approach: the sign code requires that the beam of light from an illuminated sign 'shall not shine directly upon any part of a residence or into the street,' electronic readerboard signs must include an automatic dimming mechanism to reduce brightness from daylight to dusk, and solar-energy devices (Section 109-54) must be designed and located to avoid glare or reflection onto adjacent properties and rights-of-way. Together these standards function as Blaine's light-management framework even without a dedicated dark-sky chapter. Because the exact shielding and intensity thresholds are set in the performance-standards chapter and can vary by district and use, anyone planning significant exterior or commercial lighting should obtain the current Section 129-2 text from the City and review it with Planning staff.