Huntington, NY Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 143-6(B) requires that 'all exterior lighting shall use fully shielded luminaires, with the light source directed downward and with the fixture installed level with the horizontal plane,' town-wide, in every zoning district. The chapter defines a fully shielded fixture at § 143-3 as one built and installed so that all light it emits, directly or by reflection, is projected below the horizontal plane, matching the 'full cutoff' standard used for site plan certifications. Two narrow carve-outs exist for residential lots: an unshielded fixture is allowed if it puts out no more than 900 lumens (about a 60-watt bulb) per fixture, or if it is shielded or aimed downward so it doesn't cause glare or trespass, and unshielded floodlights under 1,800 lumens (about a 100-watt bulb) are allowed if angled so the beam center never points above 45 degrees.

Section 143-6(C) caps mounted height at 25 feet generally, dropping to 20 feet for a non-residential use on residentially-zoned land or for any property adjacent to residential use. Section 143-6(D) bans unshielded wall packs and floodlights outright, along with searchlights, pulse and laser lights, blinking or flashing lights, and mercury vapor light sources. The dark-sky standard extends to the Town's own infrastructure: § 143-9(B) requires every streetlight installed or replaced since January 1, 2006 to be a fully shielded, high-pressure-sodium luminaire, and municipal playing field lights installed after that date must use shielded fixtures that cap upward light at five percent of total output.

Compliance for new commercial and multi-family projects is checked at site plan review under § 143-12, which requires manufacturer cut sheets and a certification of 'full cut-off' compliance before permits issue.