Bergen County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Outdoor lighting is regulated through municipal zoning codes, with most Bergen County towns requiring shielded fixtures and limiting glare in residential and commercial site plans.
While Bergen County does not maintain a dark-sky overlay, individual municipalities throughout Bergen County address light pollution through site plan review and zoning ordinances. Common requirements include full-cutoff fixtures, maximum lumens per acre, prohibitions on uplighting, and curfews requiring non-essential lights off after 11pm. Towns like Ramsey, Allendale, and Upper Saddle River have detailed lighting standards in their development codes. Commercial properties typically must submit photometric plans demonstrating compliance with municipal foot-candle limits at property lines. The Bergen County Planning Board reviews larger projects for regional impact but does not impose dedicated dark-sky standards beyond those required by member municipalities.
Municipal lighting violations typically result in fines $100 to $1,000 per day plus required corrective work to bring fixtures into compliance.
See how other cities in Bergen County handle dark sky rules.
See how Englewood's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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