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

Sec. 37-619 establishes the Curtis Road Interchange Area Overlay District as the city's primary southern entryway from Interstate 57 and applies heightened design standards to development within the district's corporate boundaries or subject to an annexation agreement applying City zoning. 0: all private exterior lighting on buildings and in parking lots must, at minimum, meet International Dark Sky Association and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America 2011 Model Lighting Ordinance requirements. 1) must be dark-sky compliant LED, using a cobra-head luminaire facing the street and the amended University District luminaire facing the sidewalk; poles may run up to 27 feet along collector streets and 12 feet along local streets.

3) is capped at 26 feet in mounting height, must be fully shielded, and the fixture itself must carry Dark Sky Compliant certification from the International Dark Sky Association, with LED (or a more energy-efficient alternative approved by the City Engineer) as the light source. 2 footcandle level must be maintained and documented with manufacturer specifications attached to the building permit. Every development application in the overlay district must submit a photometric lighting plan for review under Sec. 7 as part of the building permit process.