New Bedford, MA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

), requires that light levels meet or exceed the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America's minimum design guidelines, provide the illumination needed for safety and convenience, and reduce skyglow. The identical clause reappears at Section 4273C(iii) for New Bedford's City Center TOD overlay, so the standard covers both transit-oriented districts but no others. As-of-right KH-TOD uses are subject to Site Plan Review under Section 5400 (Section 4232B), and the Planning Board may adopt further Design Standards and Guidelines under Section 4233B, so the IESNA benchmark is applied and checked during that review rather than through a separate lighting permit.

The ordinance text sets no specific lumen, color-temperature, or full-cutoff-fixture number; compliance is measured against the outside IESNA guideline itself. Outside the KH-TOD and City Center TOD boundaries, the Zoning Ordinance contains no general dark-sky or skyglow-reduction requirement.