Evanston, IL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Limit
- 0.5 foot-candle at the property line
- Source code
- 2021 IPMC § 402.4, adopted at § 5-1-3
- Security lighting exception
- Motion-activated, off within 5 minutes
- Holiday lighting
- Governed by NFPA 70 instead
- Enforcer
- Building & Development Services Code Official
- Penalty
- $150/$400/$750 tiered, per-day fines
Summary
Evanston caps outdoor lighting at half a foot-candle measured at the property line. Section 402.4 of the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted and enforced as Evanston City Code Section 5-1-3, bars exterior lighting that causes light trespass or glare onto neighboring properties and the public way, with narrow exceptions for motion-activated security lights and holiday lighting.
402.4 Exterior lighting. Exterior lighting shall not cause light trespass and shall protect adjacent properties and public ways from glare and excessive lighting. Light level at any property line is limited to one-half (0.5) foot-candle unless otherwise regulated by city code.
Exception:
1.Security lighting: Exterior lighting installed primarily for safety or emergency shall be permitted provided that said lighting is solely for security and activated by a motion or a controlled system and shall be extinguished within 5 minutes of cessation of actual or perceived emergency.2.Holiday lighting: Holiday lighting subject to NFPA 70 National Electric Code regulations as adopted and amended by the City of Evanston.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
The standard lives in Chapter 1 of Title 5, Evanston's Property Maintenance Code, which the City adopted by reference from the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code under its home-rule authority (Section 5-1-1), with local amendments spelled out in Section 5-1-3. 5) foot-candle unless otherwise regulated by city code. Two exceptions are built into the same amendment: security lighting installed solely for safety or emergency use is allowed if it is motion-activated or run through a controlled system and shuts off within five minutes of the triggering event, and holiday lighting is instead governed by the NFPA 70 National Electrical Code as adopted locally.
5 foot-candle property-line cap on site and building lighting design, so the limit is consistent whether a property is cited under the maintenance code or reviewed at the zoning-permit stage. 3's Right of Entry provision, present credentials, and, if entry is refused, seek a court order to secure it.
Violations & Fines
A property owner who ignores a notice of violation is guilty of a strict-liability offense under Section 109.3 and faces escalating fines set by Section 109.4: $150 for a first violation, $400 for a second, and $750 for a third or later violation, with each day the excess lighting continues counted as a separate offense. The Code Official can also pursue a court action to restrain or correct the violation, and unresolved fines become a lien against the real estate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can outdoor lighting be at my Evanston property line?
Are motion-sensor security lights exempt from Evanston's lighting limit?
Do holiday lights count toward the 0.5 foot-candle cap?
What's the fine for a light-trespass violation in Evanston?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evanston
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