Monroe County has no county-wide dark-sky ordinance. Rochester Ch. 120 zoning requires shielded fixtures on commercial lighting. Pittsford Village and Mendon have stricter residential dark-sky rules.
Monroe County has no county-wide dark-sky ordinance but several towns regulate. Rochester Zoning Ch. 120 site plan requirements mandate fully shielded (full-cutoff) fixtures for commercial lighting and limit spillover onto residential properties. Pittsford Village and Town of Mendon have stricter dark-sky provisions requiring fully shielded residential fixtures and limiting color temperature (typically 3000K or below). Brighton and Pittsford commercial lighting must meet IES RP-33 standards. Rochester Institute of Technology observatory in Mendon benefits from surrounding dark-sky compliance. Parking lot lighting subject to pole height limits (typically 20 to 30 feet) and 0.5 fc maximum at residential property lines.
Rochester Ch. 120 commercial violation: $100 to $500 plus 30-day correction. Pittsford/Mendon: $100 to $500 repeat. Permit revocation possible for commercial non-compliance.
Gates, NY
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See how Gates's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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