Hackensack, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Industrial, business, office, multi-family, health uses
- Excludes
- 1- and 2-family dwellings (except home occupations)
- Max apex angle
- 75 degrees
- Spotlight fixtures
- Prohibited on buildings
- Strobing lights
- Prohibited outdoors, incl. signage
- Measurement point
- 25 ft. or property line
Summary
Hackensack's zoning performance standards ban direct or sky-reflected glare from industrial, business, office, multi-family and health-service uses, require outdoor lights be shielded to a maximum 75-degree apex cone angle, prohibit building-mounted spotlight fixtures, and ban strobing lights on any outdoor fixture including signage.
No direct or sky-reflected glare shall be visible, whether from floodlights or from high-temperature processes, so as to be visible at the points of measurement specified in § 175-15.1C. ... All lights shall be shielded so as to restrict the maximum apex angle of the cone of illumination to 75° or to such lesser angle as shall be required to shield the lights from the view of any adjacent residential properties, which shall include mixed-use properties with dwelling units. ... Spotlight-type fixtures attached to buildings are prohibited. ... Strobing lights shall be prohibited on any outdoor light fixture including signage. Strobing lights within a building shall not be perceivable outside of the property, including through windows or open doors.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
2B sets Hackensack's glare standard. 1C, which are the closer of 25 feet from the building or the property line. Every light must be shielded so the cone of illumination's apex angle does not exceed 75 degrees, or a tighter angle if needed to keep the fixture out of view from adjacent residential properties, a category the code extends to mixed-use buildings with dwelling units. Spotlight-type fixtures attached to buildings are banned outright, all wiring must run underground, and light sources have to be arranged so the direct bulb is not visible from any adjacent residential area. Strobing lights are barred from any outdoor fixture, including signage, and even interior strobing cannot be perceivable from outside the building. 1B(1).
Violations & Fines
A use whose lighting emits direct or sky-reflected glare beyond the § 175-15.1C measurement points, an unshielded fixture exceeding the 75-degree apex angle, a building-mounted spotlight, or a strobing outdoor light violates a performance standard enforced by the Construction Code Official and Zoning Officer under § 175-15.1B(2); noncompliance can hold up a certificate of occupancy since applicants must certify compliance before construction under § 175-15.1B(1).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hackensack require outdoor lights to be shielded?
Can a business use a spotlight on its building at night?
Are strobing or flashing outdoor lights allowed?
Do these lighting rules apply to a single-family home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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