Bloomington, IL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

D and applies to every zoning district, covering everything from parking-lot lights to building facades. Anyone installing outdoor lighting for a parking lot, a new development, or a similar project must submit a lighting plan prepared by a qualified lighting professional to the Department of Development Services for review and approval, and the lighting supplier must certify to the City that the fixtures actually installed match the approved plan. That plan has to show a site photometric layout with foot-candle levels at the lot lines, luminaire and pole specifications, initial average foot-candle levels with a maximum-to-minimum uniformity ratio, mounting heights and lamp intensities, and an after-hours security lighting plan capping operational security fixtures at 33% of the site's lighting.

D(5) requires full cutoff luminaires for area and wall-mounted lighting, with tilt arms prohibited outright and decorative fixtures fitted with internal louvers. 25 watts per square foot of illuminated area, floodlights cannot sit farther from the building than one-third of the building's height, and fascia lighting is limited to the street-facing side of a building at no more than twice the size of the building sign. Exterior lighting must run on a photo sensor, timer, or similar automated control that dims it once daylight is sufficient and shuts it off within one hour after closing, apart from security lighting.

Police, fire, and other emergency vehicle lighting, legally required hazard beacons, permitted outdoor event lighting while an event is running, and holiday lighting are exempt.