Orange County NY has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Towns of Warwick and Tuxedo require full-cutoff fixtures in commercial zones, and Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain State Park follow informal dark-sky practices. Newburgh, Middletown, and Goshen regulate commercial lighting through site plan review. NYSERDA promotes LED efficiency under the NY Energy Code.
Outdoor lighting in Orange County is regulated at the town level. Town of Warwick §164-33 requires full-cutoff fixtures in commercial and multi-family site plans with maximum 0.5 footcandle at property lines and mounting height ≤20 ft. Town of Tuxedo §98-45 limits commercial lighting to full-cutoff and prohibits light trespass onto residential lots. The City of Newburgh, City of Middletown, and Village of Goshen apply lighting standards through site plan review under NY Town Law §274-a but do not have standalone dark-sky ordinances. Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks (managed by Palisades Interstate Park Commission) promote International Dark-Sky Association practices but lack binding rules. The 2020 NY Energy Conservation Construction Code (ECCC) limits commercial outdoor lighting power density. Homeowners are generally exempt from dark-sky rules.
Commercial installation without full-cutoff fixture where required: stop-work order and re-permit. Light trespass complaints: town code enforcement, fines $100-$500. NY ECCC violations: $500+ and re-inspection.
Orange County, NY
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See how Middletown's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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