Madison, WI Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Building light load cap
- 5 watts per lineal foot
- Required aim
- Illuminate building, not the sky
- Canopy cap
- 50 footcandles max at any point
- Merchandizing area cap
- 20 fc on 75% of lot
- Penalty
- $25-$200 fine/day
Summary
Madison caps how much light a building-illuminating fixture can throw and specifically bars aiming it at the sky. Sec. 29.36(4)(b), MGO, limits building floodlighting to 5 watts per lineal foot and requires the fixture be 'shielded or installed so as to illuminate the building, and not the sky.'
An outdoor lighting system for illuminating buildings and structures shall have a maximum connected lighting load of five (5) watts per lineal foot. Watts shall mean lamp wattage and ballast consumption. Such lighting shall be shielded or installed so as to illuminate the building, and not the sky.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 36(4), MGO, 'Specific Design Requirements,' addresses lighting aimed upward at facades separately from the general shielding rule for area and security lights. Subsection (4)(b) reads in full: 'An outdoor lighting system for illuminating buildings and structures shall have a maximum connected lighting load of five (5) watts per lineal foot. Watts shall mean lamp wattage and ballast consumption. ' The same subsection caps light spilling from other upward-facing sources: an outdoor canopy 'shall not exceed 50 footcandles at any point,' and an outdoor merchandizing area's initial illumination is capped at 20 footcandles across 75% of the lot, with only a limited 25%-of-lot area allowed to reach 40 footcandles.
Together, these figures function as Madison's version of a dark-sky rule, they are not framed as protecting star visibility, but the wattage cap and the 'illuminate the building, and not the sky' language do the same job of keeping architectural and merchandising lighting pointed down and out rather than up. Any fixture bright enough to require review under Sec. 36(5), over 1,000 initial lumens, must submit a photometric plot showing where the light lands, which the Building Inspection Division checks against these caps before authorizing installation.
Violations & Fines
A building-wash or facade light that exceeds the 5-watt-per-lineal-foot load, or one installed to shine upward instead of onto the building, violates Sec. 29.36(4)(b), MGO, and is fined under Sec. 29.36(7) at not less than $25 nor more than $200, with every day the fixture stays noncompliant a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I point a floodlight up at my building's roofline in Madison?
Is there a limit on how bright a store's outdoor canopy can be?
Does Madison call this a 'dark sky' ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madison
Compare Madison to another location·View the Wisconsin outdoor lighting overview
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Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle dark sky rules.