Oakland County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance, but most of its suburbs regulate outdoor lighting through their zoning or nuisance codes. Farmington Hills (Chapter 17, Section 17-106) is the strictest: residential exterior lights are capped at 1,400 lumens per fixture (about a 100-watt incandescent equivalent), fixtures must be fully shielded with opaque material on top and all sides, and the light source must be parallel to the horizontal plane of the area lit. Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield (Ordinance C-728), Birmingham, and Bloomfield Township all require full-cutoff fixtures for non-residential properties and prohibit lights that produce glare onto adjacent property or any public street. Michigan does not have a statewide dark-sky law, but state-park lighting on Oakland County's lakes is managed by the DNR's published lighting guidance.
Farmington Hills Chapter 17 (Nuisance), Section 17-106 requires that exterior light fixtures be totally shielded with opaque material on the top and all sides, with the light source mounted so the bulb is parallel to the horizontal plane of the lighted area. Residential exterior sources are limited to a total of 1,400 lumens per fixture — roughly equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent — except for flood- or spotlights and entrance lighting permitted by the zoning ordinance. Façade lighting must stay on the façade surface and may only highlight architectural features; light trespass is prohibited. Security lighting is permitted when controlled by a properly-functioning motion detector. Bloomfield Hills Chapter 24 (Zoning), Article IV requires full cutoff fixtures and prohibits direct glare visible from any public street or adjacent residential property. Birmingham's Zoning Ordinance Lighting Standards (Article LT) caps light at the property line at 0.5 footcandle for residentially abutting properties. West Bloomfield's Ordinance C-728 requires shielded, downward-directed fixtures and a maximum 0.5 footcandle spillover at residential lot lines. Bloomfield Township's zoning ordinance mirrors that 0.5 footcandle limit. Oakland County's own lakes (e.g., Cass, Union, Pontiac, Walled) lie inside multiple jurisdictions; lakefront lighting must comply with the host city's rule.
Lighting violations are municipal civil infractions almost everywhere in Oakland County. Farmington Hills issues a notice of violation requiring the fixture be re-aimed, shielded, or replaced within 14–30 days; civil-infraction fines start around $100 and escalate. Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and West Bloomfield will measure footcandles at the property line during a complaint investigation; readings above 0.5 footcandle into a residential lot trigger a notice and potential $250–$500 fine. Continuing operation of an unshielded fixture after notice may be cited each day as a separate violation. New construction in Farmington Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and West Bloomfield must show compliant lighting on the site plan before a building permit issues — non-compliance blocks Certificate of Occupancy.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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