Evansville, IN Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies in
- Airport Overlay Zone (AIR-O) only
- Fixture rule
- Full-cutoff luminaires, pole/structure-mounted
- Prohibited
- Upward or horizontal light projection
- Signs
- Must be internally illuminated
- Administered by
- Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission
Summary
Within Evansville's Airport Overlay Zone, new site lighting must use full-cutoff fixtures aimed downward, no upward or horizontal glare, and no spinning, oscillating, or blinking lights, to protect nighttime aircraft operations near Evansville Regional Airport.
All lighting for proposed site developments shall be prohibited from projecting upward or horizontally; shall be mounted on a pole, structure, or building; and shall utilize full-cutoff luminaires.
(2) All signs shall be internally illuminated and shall not adversely impact aircraft safety or airfield operations as determined by the airport.
(3) With the exception of lighting for airport operations, no lighting (including any associated with signs) in the AIR-O shall spin, oscillate, or blink.
(B) Hazard Marking and Lighting. The applicant must follow the appropriate procedures required by the FAA to obtain a letter of determination regarding hazard markings and lighting. The airport may inspect the property, from time to time, to ensure compliance with the letter of determination. [Ord. G-2023-20 § 3, passed 11-15-23.]
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Evansville Municipal Code § 18.118.080 is the city's only outdoor-lighting design standard, and it applies solely inside the Airport Overlay Zone (AIR-O) established around Evansville Regional Airport, not citywide. All lighting for new site developments there must be pole-, structure-, or building-mounted, use full-cutoff luminaires, and cannot project upward or horizontally. Signs must be internally illuminated rather than spotlit, and except for airport-operations lighting, nothing in the AIR-O may spin, oscillate, or blink. The zoning ordinance is jointly administered by the Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission, which also handles the FAA hazard-marking/lighting sign-off for tall structures.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by the Area Plan Commission through the improvement location permit process; the airport may periodically inspect a site for compliance with any required FAA hazard-marking determination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this lighting rule apply citywide in Evansville?
What fixture type does Evansville require in the AIR-O?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
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