Middletown, OH Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Middletown does not use the term dark sky, but Chapter 1208's outdoor lighting standards work the same way: they require full-cutoff fixtures instead of leaving light to scatter upward and outward. 04(c)(4)(A) requires that lighting be selected, located, aimed and shielded, using cutoff shields or similar measures, so as to focus illumination exclusively on the intended site elements and away from adjoining properties and public streets. The code illustrates the requirement directly with Figure 1208-A, captioned to show that cutoff lighting fixtures are permitted whereas non-cutoff lighting fixtures are prohibited, so a fixture that throws light sideways or upward past its housing does not meet the standard even if it otherwise complies with height and placement rules.

04(c)(3), any light mounted on a pole or on a structure other than the principal building cannot exceed 25 feet, which limits how far a fixture's glow can carry. Table 1208-1 elsewhere in the section sets maximum-to-minimum lighting ratios of three-to-one or four-to-one for site elements like driveways, drop-off areas and building entrances, which keeps bright spots from being surrounded by unlit gaps that make the bright fixture look even more glaring. These standards apply to new nonresidential buildings, new nonresidential buildings in residential districts, vehicular use areas and any added outdoor fixture; single-family, two-family and three-family homes are exempt from the intensity and height rules but must still fully shield their own fixtures from adjoining properties.