Bergen County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Outdoor lighting is regulated through municipal zoning codes, with most Bergen County towns requiring shielded fixtures and limiting glare in residential and commercial site plans.
While Bergen County does not maintain a dark-sky overlay, individual municipalities throughout Bergen County address light pollution through site plan review and zoning ordinances. Common requirements include full-cutoff fixtures, maximum lumens per acre, prohibitions on uplighting, and curfews requiring non-essential lights off after 11pm. Towns like Ramsey, Allendale, and Upper Saddle River have detailed lighting standards in their development codes. Commercial properties typically must submit photometric plans demonstrating compliance with municipal foot-candle limits at property lines. The Bergen County Planning Board reviews larger projects for regional impact but does not impose dedicated dark-sky standards beyond those required by member municipalities.
Municipal lighting violations typically result in fines $100 to $1,000 per day plus required corrective work to bring fixtures into compliance.
Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack City Code Chapter 112 (Noise), adopted by Ordinance No. 07-2018 on April 10, 2018, restricts construction noise audible off-property to 7:00 AM-6:...
Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack requires all swimming pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Requirements follow the New J...
Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack regulates retaining walls through building and zoning codes. Walls over 4 feet typically require engineered design and a building permit. Walls mu...
Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack permits common fence materials including wood, vinyl, ornamental metal, and chain link. Barbed wire and electrified fences are prohibited in resid...
Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack fences must be installed on the owner's property, not on the property line, unless neighbors have a written shared agreement. The finished side ty...
Hackensack, NJ
Hackensack requires a zoning permit and building permit for most new fences and replacements. Applications go through the Building Department, including a su...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Bergen County.
See how other cities in Bergen County handle dark sky rules.
See how Hackensack's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
Quick Compare
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.