Newark, OH Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Parking lot lighting
- Must reflect light away from adjoining R-District premises
- Glare standard
- No direct or reflected glare visible from adjoining property or public roads
- Security lighting
- Covered when the Zoning Inspector finds the glare objectionable
- Parking screening
- Four to six feet high for lots of more than four vehicles next to an R-District
- Enforcing official
- Zoning Inspector
Summary
In the City of Newark, Ohio, lighting for an off-street parking area must be arranged to reflect light away from adjoining premises in any R-District. Separately, no direct or reflected glare can be visible from neighboring property or from a public street, road or highway, and the Zoning Inspector decides when security-light glare is objectionable.
(c) Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate any off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises in any R-District. ... No direct or reflected glare shall be created which is visible from any adjoining or surrounding property or from any public street, road, or highway. This includes glare from security lighting which the Zoning Inspector has determined to be objectionable.
Full Breakdown
Newark's zoning code regulates outdoor lighting through two short provisions rather than a full dark-sky ordinance. The first is § 1290.03(c), part of the chapter on development and maintenance of off-street parking. It applies to every parcel of land used for off-street parking and requires that any lighting used to illuminate the parking area be arranged to reflect the light away from adjoining premises in any R-District. The duty is directional: the fixtures have to be aimed and arranged so the light does not fall on a neighboring residential lot. The same section requires screening for parking areas of more than four vehicles that adjoin an R-District, using a masonry wall, solid fence or earthen mound between four and six feet in height.
The second provision is § 1296.09, one of the performance standards in Chapter 1296. It says no direct or reflected glare shall be created which is visible from any adjoining or surrounding property or from any public street, road, or highway. It names security lighting specifically, so a floodlight on a commercial building or a residential security fixture falls under it when the Zoning Inspector has determined the glare to be objectionable. Under § 1296.01, compliance with the performance standards is required of every use, even when a particular use does not list them.
These two sections set no footcandle figure, mounting height or shielding specification. The enforcement call rests on the Zoning Inspector's determination. Chapter 1292, the landscaping chapter, adds that its purpose includes reducing noise and light glare (§ 1292.01), which is why parking-lot buffer plantings carry a lighting benefit. Illuminated signs are handled separately in Chapter 1294.
Violations & Fines
The Zoning Inspector enforces both provisions under Title Four. A parking lot light that spills onto an R-District neighbor or a security light judged objectionable draws notices under § 1232.99: $150.00 for the first notice of non-compliance, $250.00 for the second, and $500.00 for the third and later notices. If the problem persists past a fourth notice, the offense becomes a first-degree misdemeanor and a strict liability offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Newark, Ohio have a dark-sky lighting ordinance?
Can a neighbor's security light be reported in Newark?
What must a business parking lot do about its lights?
Who enforces the glare rule in Newark?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newark
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