Madison MGO §28.140 and Dane County zoning require full-cutoff fixtures for commercial and multifamily outdoor lighting. Max 0.5 foot-candle spillover at residential property lines. No county-wide dark-sky ordinance, but UW-Madison Washburn Observatory influences local practice.
Madison General Ordinance §28.140 (Exterior Lighting) requires all new commercial, industrial, and multi-family outdoor fixtures to be full-cutoff (fully shielded) with no light emitted above the horizontal plane. Parking lot light poles are limited to 25 feet in most districts, 35 feet in industrial zones. Maximum illuminance at a residential property line is 0.5 foot-candle. Dane County zoning (Ch. 10) imposes similar full-cutoff requirements in rural subdivisions and commercial districts. Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona, Sun Prairie, Stoughton, and Monona each adopt full-cutoff standards in their zoning codes. Color temperature is not capped statewide, but Madison encourages 3000K or warmer LEDs. Single-family residential porch and yard lighting is largely exempt from shielding requirements but remains subject to nuisance and light-trespass rules. Wisconsin has no statewide dark-sky statute.
Non-compliant commercial fixture: notice plus 60-day retrofit deadline, then forfeiture $100-$500 per day. Parking lot over height limit: zoning enforcement action, up to $1,000 per violation.
Dane County, WI
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Dane County, WI
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See how Dane County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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