Colonie, NY Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Fixture requirement
- High-pressure sodium vapor, not mercury vapor
- Applies within
- Conservation Development Overlay, Pine Bush-influenced areas
- Covers
- Exterior security and parking lot lighting
- Dusk-to-dawn lighting
- Discouraged, not an outright ban
- Administering department
- Planning and Economic Development Department (PEDD)
Summary
In the Pine Bush-influenced portions of Colonie's Conservation Development Overlay, exterior security and parking lot lighting must use high-pressure sodium vapor fixtures rather than mercury vapor or other lighting, and the code discourages excessive dusk-to-dawn lighting to protect the Preserve's nocturnal habitat.
(5) All lighting fixtures used to provide exterior security or parking lot lighting shall utilize high-pressure sodium vapor lights as opposed to mercury vapor or other lighting fixtures and otherwise comply with Town lighting requirements. The use of excessive dusk-to-dawn exterior lighting shall be discouraged.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4902401; v37 updated 2026-05-28; through 05-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 190-30H(5) requires that all lighting fixtures providing exterior security or parking lot lighting in the Albany Pine Bush-influenced portions of the Conservation Development Overlay District "utilize high-pressure sodium vapor lights as opposed to mercury vapor or other lighting fixtures," while otherwise complying with the Town's general lighting requirements found elsewhere in Chapter 190. That is a mandatory fixture-type standard, not a suggestion: a site plan proposing mercury vapor or standard floodlights for exterior security or parking areas in this overlay does not meet the section as written.
The same subsection separately states that "the use of excessive dusk-to-dawn exterior lighting shall be discouraged," a softer standard the Planning Board weighs during site plan review rather than an outright ban on dusk-to-dawn fixtures. Both standards sit among the broader Pine Bush design package in § 190-30H, which also pushes native landscaping, bans known invasive species in new plantings, favors several small parking lots over one large lot, and discourages general site clearing that departs from natural contours. The Conservation Development Overlay applies to site plan and subdivision applications within the overlay under § 190-30A and B, with exemptions for minor site plans, minor subdivisions, and sites the Board finds have no conservation value.
PEDD administers Conservation Overlay Districts under § 190-33A, and the Planning Board reviews lighting plans for compliance during conceptual and final site plan review under § 190-30D and G.
Violations & Fines
A site plan in the Pine Bush overlay that specifies mercury vapor or other non-sodium exterior security or parking lighting fails the mandatory fixture standard in § 190-30H(5). PEDD administers the Conservation Overlay under § 190-33A, and the Planning Board can withhold or condition site plan approval until the lighting plan is revised to high-pressure sodium fixtures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of outdoor lighting does Colonie require near the Pine Bush?
Is dusk-to-dawn lighting banned in the Pine Bush overlay?
Does this lighting rule apply outside the Conservation Development Overlay?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colonie
New York rules heatmap·Compare Colonie to another location·View the New York outdoor lighting overview
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Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Albany County handle dark sky rules.