Madison MGO 10.085 outdoor lighting ordinance requires full cutoff fixtures for new commercial installations and limits light trespass. Enacted to reduce glare, energy use, and skyglow affecting UW-Madison Washburn Observatory.
Madison General Ordinances 10.085 (Outdoor Lighting) establishes citywide standards enacted in part to protect nighttime environment and the historic UW-Madison Washburn Observatory. New or replaced outdoor lighting in commercial, industrial, and multi-family developments must use full-cutoff (fully shielded) fixtures where any part of the lamp or reflector is below the horizontal plane of the fixture, minimizing uplight. Maximum pole height 25-30 feet in most districts. Color temperature should be 3000K or warmer for amber-friendly lighting. Illuminance limits: property line spill cannot exceed 0.3 footcandles at adjacent residential property, 1.0 footcandles at commercial. Sign lighting, canopy lighting (gas stations), and sports lighting have specific standards. Residential single-family lighting is exempt from the ordinance but subject to MGO 10.085(7) nuisance/trespass provisions. Madison is an IDA (International Dark-Sky Association) aware community. LED retrofits must maintain cutoff compliance; decorative string lights are exempt.
Non-compliant new install: retrofit order, $100-$500. Light trespass nuisance: abatement order. Uncorrected: daily forfeiture.
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