Naperville, IL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential district pole height
- 23 ft max
- Commercial/office-business park pole height
- 25 ft max
- Industrial district pole height
- 32 ft max
- Pathway/trail fixtures
- 8 ft max
- Wallpack fixtures
- banned citywide
- Light loss factor required
- 0.75-0.8
- General penalty
- $100-$500 per day of violation
Summary
Naperville requires every commercial, parking-lot and building security fixture to carry glare controls and full shielding under Municipal Code section 6-14-4, subsection 3.2.3, and bans wallpack fixtures outright. Pole-mounted lights top out at 23 feet in residential districts, 25 feet in commercial and office/business park districts, and 32 feet in industrial districts, with pathway and trail lighting capped at 8 feet.
3.2.1.The style of the light and light standard shall be consistent with the architectural style of the principal building.3.2.2.Pathways, sidewalks, and trails shall be lighted with low level fixtures not to exceed eight (8) feet in pole height.3.2.3.All building lighting for security or aesthetics shall include glare controls and shall be shielded. Floodlighting is discouraged, and if used, shall be shielded to prevent disability glare for drivers or pedestrians, light trespass beyond the property line, and light above a 90-degree horizontal plane. Wallpack type fixtures shall not be permitted.3.2.4.All parking area lighting shall include glare controls and shall be shielded.3.2.5.Poles supporting lights shall be no taller than twenty-three (23) feet in a residential district, twenty-five (25) feet in a commercial district, a commercial part of a residential planned unit development, or in office/business park districts, and thirty-two (32) feet in any industrial district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 101).
Full Breakdown
The City's exterior lighting standards sit in Title 6, Chapter 14 (Performance Standards) and apply to every zoning district. ' Floodlighting is discouraged and, when used, must be shielded to prevent disability glare, light trespass beyond the property line, and light above a 90-degree horizontal plane; wallpack fixtures are banned outright, and parking-area lighting must also carry glare controls and shielding. Pole height for site lighting is capped at 23 feet in residential districts, 25 feet in commercial districts, commercial portions of a residential planned unit development, or office/business-park districts, and 32 feet in industrial districts. 2 with a 25-foot luminaire cap and prescribed foot-candle levels for feature-display, merchandise and circulation areas. 4). 7). 6). 1).
Violations & Fines
Unpermitted or unshielded fixtures are enforced by the Zoning Administrator through the building permit and site plan process; noncompliant lighting plans block certificate-of-occupancy approval. Where no specific fine is listed in Chapter 14, Naperville's general penalty (Municipal Code section 1-4-1) applies: not less than $100 nor more than $500 per offense, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense, plus recoverable attorney fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are wallpack light fixtures legal in Naperville?
How tall can a parking lot light pole be?
Do older, unshielded lights have to be replaced?
Who reviews outdoor lighting plans in Naperville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Naperville
Compare Naperville to another location·View the Illinois outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.