Suffolk County towns have some of the strongest dark-sky ordinances in New York. Southampton, East Hampton, Southold, and Shelter Island enforce full-cutoff fixture requirements, lumen caps, and color temperature limits at or below 3000K.
Town of Southampton Chapter 330 Article XXVIIIA (Outdoor Lighting) requires full-cutoff fixtures, color temperature 3000K or less, and limits residential lumens to 8,500 per property. Town of East Hampton 255-11-97 similarly requires full-cutoff fixtures, prohibits up-lighting of landscape, and enforces curfew shut-off by 11 PM for non-essential lighting. Town of Southold Chapter 172 mandates dark-sky compliance and 2700K maximum color temperature in agricultural zones. Shelter Island Chapter 69A imposes the strictest lumen cap on Long Island. Brookhaven Chapter 81 requires shielded fixtures for new installations. Light pollution complaints investigated by town code enforcement.
Dark-sky violations $250-$1,000 per fixture per day. Uncorrected violations trigger fixture removal orders. Commercial CO issuance conditioned on lighting plan compliance.
Suffolk County, NY
Suffolk County skateboarders are governed mainly by town ordinances regulating sidewalk and street use; New York Vehicle and Traffic Law treats e-skateboards...
Suffolk County, NY
New York courts have struck down most general loitering offenses on constitutional grounds, leaving Suffolk County to rely on narrowly drawn state statutes; ...
Suffolk County, NY
Loud parties on Long Island fall under town noise ordinances and the New York Penal Law disorderly conduct statute, with Hamptons summer rentals drawing inte...
Suffolk County, NY
Suffolk County prohibits smoking in county parks, beaches, and many outdoor public spaces, building on New York's Clean Indoor Air Act with additional county...
Suffolk County, NY
Under New York Cannabis Law and Public Health Law, adults over 21 may smoke or vape cannabis anywhere tobacco smoking is allowed, but Suffolk County parks an...
Suffolk County, NY
New York State Liquor Authority law and local Suffolk County town codes generally prohibit consuming alcoholic beverages or possessing open containers in pub...
See how Suffolk County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.