Yellowstone County has no dark-sky or outdoor-lighting ordinance for unincorporated land. County zoning near Billings limits glare that spills off a property (for example, home occupations may not create glare), but there is no shielding or lumen standard. Rural unzoned land sets no county rule.
Yellowstone County does not have a dedicated dark-sky lighting ordinance. The adopted Zoning Ordinance controls glare only indirectly: a home occupation, for example, may use "no equipment... which creates noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors," and general nuisance and property-maintenance provisions apply, but there is no county requirement for full-cutoff fixtures, color temperature, or maximum lumen levels on ordinary residential lighting. On unzoned rural county land the county sets no lighting rule. Inside the City of Billings, the city zoning code addresses site lighting and glare for developments. If a neighbor's light is a genuine nuisance, County Code Enforcement or, inside the city, city zoning may review it under nuisance/glare standards.
There is no county dark-sky penalty. Glare that rises to a nuisance or violates a specific zoning condition (such as a home-occupation approval) can be addressed by Code Enforcement (406-652-2050) or, inside Billings, city zoning.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Yellowstone County, MT
Yellowstone County has no ordinance banning backyard composting. Residents may compost yard and food waste; keep piles from becoming a rodent, odor, or vecto...
Yellowstone County, MT
Yellowstone County has no ordinance banning or requiring a permit for artificial turf on residential lawns. Homeowners may install synthetic grass; HOA coven...
Yellowstone County, MT
Yellowstone County does not require or prohibit native-plant landscaping. Residents may plant Montana natives and drought-tolerant xeriscape freely, provided...
Yellowstone County, MT
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Montana and encouraged. Yellowstone County has no ordinance restricting rain barrels. Rooftop collection for outdoor landsca...
Yellowstone County, MT
Unincorporated Yellowstone County imposes no standing lawn-watering rule. The City of Billings enacts temporary Stage 1 restrictions during peak demand, typi...
Yellowstone County, MT
Montana law makes noxious-weed control MANDATORY for every landowner. State statute makes it unlawful to let a noxious weed go to seed on your land, and the ...
See how Yellowstone County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.