De Pere, WI Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 14-95(3) of the zoning ordinance's outdoor lighting article specifically mandates dark sky-compliant lighting for mixed-use, commercial and employment districts: subsection (b) states plainly that the city requires the use of dark sky-compliant lighting fixtures and installation practices. The city backs that mandate with several operational standards in the same subsection. local time. Subsection (d) limits mounting height to control glare and sky glow: parking lot lighting cannot be mounted higher than 30 feet above average grade at the fixture base, and all other on-site lights are capped at 15 feet above grade directly below the fixture.

Subsection (e) forbids permanent string lighting outright, stating that string lights are not permitted as permanent building lighting. Together these rules push commercial and mixed-use lighting toward full-cutoff, downward-directed fixtures rather than unshielded floodlights or decorative strings left up year-round. The development services director enforces the lighting article, and a fixture installed in violation of the color-temperature, height, or string-light restrictions can draw a municipal citation under city code § 1-11 through the same Article XV enforcement powers that apply across the zoning ordinance.