Elgin, IL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential brightness cap
- 3.0 avg footcandles, 25 ft max mount
- Business district cap
- 5.0 avg footcandles, 40 ft max mount
- Shielding trigger
- Luminaires over 1,800 lumens (900 for spot/flood)
- Light loss factor
- 0.75 to 0.8
- Plan required before install
- Dept. of Code Administration and Development Services
Summary
Elgin's outdoor lighting chapter caps brightness by zoning district and forces full-cutoff shielding on brighter fixtures: any luminaire over 1,800 lumens (900 lumens for spot or flood lights) cannot emit light above a horizontal plane through its lowest light-emitting part, and near residential lines or streets those same fixtures must mount no higher than 25 feet under § 19.13.125.
Any luminaire with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of more than one thousand eight hundred (1,800) lumens, and all spot or flood luminaires with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of more than nine hundred (900) lumens, shall not emit any direct light above a horizontal plane through the lowest direct light emitting part of the luminaire. Any luminaire with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of more than one thousand eight hundred (1,800) lumens, and all flood or spot luminaires with a lamp or lamps rated at more than nine hundred (900) lumens, shall be mounted at a height equal to or less than twenty-five (25) feet, when the luminaire is located within fifty (50) feet of a residential property line or a public street right-of-way line.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7).
Full Breakdown
100). 120). 0 average footcandles and 40 feet. 130(B)). 130(C)). 125's glare-control rule forces the brightest fixtures, those over 1,800 lumens generally or 900 lumens for spot/flood lights, to stay below a horizontal cutoff plane, and to mount at 25 feet or less whenever they sit within 50 feet of a residential property line or public street right-of-way.
Violations & Fines
Installing or modifying outdoor lighting without first filing the plan required by § 19.13.120, or exceeding the footcandle, uniformity-ratio, or mounting-height limits in § 19.13.130's table, makes the fixture noncompliant and subject to correction under chapter 19.52's nonconforming-lighting provisions; unshielded commercial or industrial fixtures that also breach the § 19.13.125 glare-cutoff rule can be ordered re-aimed, re-shielded, or lowered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Elgin require full cutoff or shielded light fixtures?
What is Elgin's maximum outdoor lighting level for a home?
Do I need a permit for outdoor lighting in Elgin?
How close to a residential lot can a bright commercial light be mounted?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elgin
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