Elkhart County has no comprehensive dark-sky or full-cutoff lighting ordinance. Its Zoning Ordinance instead requires parking-area lighting to reflect light away from adjoining residential properties and uses buffering to limit glare on neighbors, under Secs. 7.2 and 7.3.3.
Unlike neighboring St. Joseph County, Elkhart County does not impose county-wide dark-sky fixture standards, lumen caps, or color-temperature limits. The Zoning Ordinance addresses light more narrowly. Section 7.2(D) requires that any device illuminating an off-street parking area reflect that light away from all adjoining residential properties. Section 7.3.3 requires buffering and screening to mitigate the negative effects of glare from buildings, vehicle lights, and outdoor lighting on neighboring property, mainly for nonresidential uses abutting homes. Single-family homes face no fixture rule, though a home occupation may not produce glare detectable beyond the premises. Cities like Elkhart and Goshen may adopt their own lighting standards.
Non-compliant parking-lot or nonresidential lighting violates the Elkhart County Zoning Ordinance and can hold up the improvement location permit until corrected. Planning and Development, under the Area Plan Commission, enforces the standards.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Elkhart County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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