Peoria, IL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Fixture type required
- Full cutoff, IES-compliant
- Fixture orientation
- Downward, mounted horizontal to ground
- Tilt arms
- Prohibited
- Max fixture height, parking areas
- 45 ft including base
- Parking lot spill cap at lot line
- 1/2 foot-candle
- Banned light sources
- Low-pressure sodium, mercury vapor, searchlights
Summary
Peoria requires every outdoor light fixture on a development site to point straight down and sit mounted horizontal to the ground, using full cutoff fixtures that meet Illuminating Engineering Society standards, to keep light from spilling into the night sky or onto neighboring property. Tilt arms are banned outright, and low-pressure sodium, mercury vapor and searchlight fixtures are prohibited citywide.
8.5.2 Design Requirements ... A. Fixture (Luminaire): Light shall be directed downward and all fixtures shall be mounted horizontal to the ground surface to minimize the amount of light spillage into the night sky and onto adjacent properties. All lighting fixtures shall be cutoff fixtures in accordance with Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) standards. Tilt arms are prohibited. B. Fixture Height: Lighting fixtures shall be a maximum of 45 feet in height (including base) within parking areas and shall be a maximum of 15 feet in height within non-vehicular pedestrian areas. -- A. Prohibited Light Sources: The following light fixtures and sources shall not be used where the direct light emitted is visible from adjacent public areas and adjacent properties: 1. Low-pressure sodium and mercury vapor light sources; 2. Searchlights and other high-intensity narrow-beam fixtures, except for accent lighting as defined in 8.5.3.B
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 119).
Full Breakdown
2, 'Design Requirements,' governs every lighting fixture 'designed or placed so as to illuminate any portion of a site' under Peoria's Unified Development Code. ' Subsection B caps fixture height at 45 feet, including the base, within parking areas, and at 15 feet within non-vehicular pedestrian areas. B, which allows upward-directed fixtures only for architectural, landscape or art accents, aimed and shielded to minimize glare and sky spill. D requires house-side shields on fixtures near residential property to prevent glare, spill or trespass onto neighboring homes.
Violations & Fines
Peoria enforces this standard under the Unified Development Code's general penalty schedule, Sec. 2.15: $300 for a first offense, $525 for a second, $750 for a third or later, referencing Chapter 1, Sec. 1-5 of the Peoria City Code, with each day of noncompliant lighting counted as a separate violation and injunctive relief available to the City.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Peoria require dark-sky-friendly lighting for new development?
Are mercury vapor lights allowed in Peoria?
How much light can spill onto my neighbor's property from a parking lot in Peoria?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria
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