Hamilton County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Cities set lighting standards through their zoning codes. Carmel requires lighting adjacent to residential areas to be a shielded 'down lighting' type and caps light crossing residential lot lines at 0.1 foot-candle.
Outdoor-lighting regulation in Hamilton County is a city zoning function under IC 36-7-4; there is no countywide light-pollution ordinance for incorporated areas. Carmel's Unified Development Ordinance does not adopt a formal 'dark sky' code but includes glare and shielding controls: in overlay districts, lights within gas-station canopies and adjacent to residential areas must be a 'down lighting' type with the light element completely shielded on all sides and top, and city-wide accessory-lighting rules bar illumination beyond a lot line above 0.1 foot-candle. Fishers, Westfield, and Noblesville include similar shielding and spillover limits in their site-plan and zoning standards. Whether full-cutoff fixtures or color-temperature limits apply depends on your city and zoning district, so confirm with your city's planning department.
Non-compliant outdoor lighting is enforced under each city's zoning or site-plan standards by city code enforcement, typically through a notice to shield, aim, or replace the fixture. Hamilton County does not enforce lighting rules inside cities.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Hamilton County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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