Showing ordinances that apply to Channel Lake, IL
Channel Lake is an unincorporated community (population 1,581) in Lake County, Illinois. Because Channel Lake is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Lake County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The dark sky rules rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Lake Forest, Highland Park, Libertyville, and unincorporated Lake County require fully shielded (full-cutoff) outdoor fixtures under local zoning. Most adopt IES standards; Lake Forest caps fixture height at 15 ft in residential zones to protect lake views.
Lake County's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Article 12.7 and municipal codes in Lake Forest (Code Ch. 46), Highland Park (Ch. 150), and Libertyville (Title 10) require fully shielded (full-cutoff) exterior lighting for new commercial, multifamily, and many residential installations. Fixtures must direct light downward; drop lenses and unshielded floodlights are prohibited in most zoning districts. Lake Forest limits pole height to 15 ft in residential and 25 ft in commercial districts, and requires IES RP-33 compliance. Gurnee and Waukegan regulate parking-lot lighting through site-plan review with maximum 0.5 footcandles at residential property lines. Color temperature guidance increasingly caps LEDs at 3000K to reduce blue light, consistent with American Medical Association recommendations. Historic districts in Lake Forest and Highland Park have additional aesthetic controls on fixture style.
Non-compliant commercial fixture: 30-day notice to correct, then fines $100 to $750 per day. Failure to comply during site-plan review: certificate of occupancy withheld. Repeat commercial violations: permit suspension.
See how Channel Lake's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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