Dutchess County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Towns of Rhinebeck, Stanford, Clinton, Pine Plains, Washington, Amenia, and Milan have adopted lighting standards requiring full-cutoff shielded fixtures and limiting lumens/color temperature in rural and historic districts. The International Dark-Sky Association recognizes parts of eastern Dutchess as dark-sky areas.
Town of Rhinebeck (Code Chapter 120-34) requires all new commercial and subdivision lighting to be fully shielded, full-cutoff fixtures with BUG rating B1-U0-G1 or better; maximum 3000K color temperature; no uplighting except limited flag/historic facade. Town of Stanford (Code Section 350-18) caps fixture height at 20 ft and requires full-cutoff. Town of Pine Plains and Town of Washington (Millbrook) have similar standards protecting rural night skies near Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Town of Clinton requires dark-sky compliant fixtures in residential districts. Town of Amenia and Town of North East (Millerton) have lighting limits near agricultural districts. Enforcement by town zoning/code enforcement officers; typically complaint-driven. Violations under NY Town Law Section 268 carry fines up to $350 first offense, $700 second. Historic district lighting review overlaps in Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, and Poughkeepsie historic areas. Residential porch/security lighting usually exempt but must not create direct glare on neighbors (nuisance under common law).
Non-compliant commercial lighting: $350-$700 plus required modification; residential nuisance glare: abatement order plus possible $250 fine.
Dutchess County, NY
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See how Dutchess County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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