Lower Paxton, PA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Lower Paxton Township Code § 180-507, Site lighting, is the governing section for shielding and skyward light. Under subsection D, fixtures must be of a type and design appropriate to the lighting application, and for areas such as parking lots full-cutoff-type fixtures shall be used. Every fixture must be equipped with, or be capable of being backfitted with, light-directing devices such as shields, visors or hoods when necessary to redirect offending light distribution.

Subsection E(2) covers directional fixtures. Floodlights, spotlights and sign lights must be installed or aimed so they do not shine directly into the window of a neighboring residence, directly into a roadway, or skyward. Subsection E(5) adds a nighttime curfew: unless the Board of Supervisors permits otherwise, lighting is controlled by automatic switching devices such as timers, motion detectors or photocells that extinguish offending sources between 11:00 p.m. and dawn, to mitigate glare and sky-lighting consequences. Subsection E(6) bars vegetation screens as the primary glare control. The township expects the work to be done with full-cutoff fixtures, mounting height, wattage, aiming angle, fixture placement and fixture design, with shields and baffles added as necessary. Flickering, flashing or strobe-type lights are not permitted under E(3).

The glare control requirements reach beyond new developments. Subsection A(3) says they apply to all lighting installations, including residential applications. Mounting height is capped in subsection F at 20 feet above adjacent grade for residential projects, 35 feet for commercial and 40 feet for industrial. A fixture that predates the chapter is a lawful, nonconforming lighting fixture under J(2), but it must be made to comply when it is replaced, relocated or repaired. Ball diamonds, playing fields, tennis courts and volleyball courts are exempt under subsection K, with a maximum post height of 100 feet, and may exceed a total cutoff angle of 90 degrees only if the luminaire is shielded against spillover onto adjacent residential uses. Separately, Zoning Code § 203-504 A prohibits direct or sky-reflected glare visible from within any district, and § 203-502 points lighting requirements back to the subdivision ordinance.