Plainfield, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

The City of Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey has no stand-alone dark-sky ordinance. The operative rule is § 17:11-12 of Chapter 17, Land Use, which sets the lighting standards the approving board applies to site plans. Three provisions do the dark-sky work. First, street lighting must be nonglare and focused downward. Second, any other outdoor lighting, meaning building and sidewalk illumination, driveways with no adjacent parking, the lighting of signs and ornamental lighting, must be shown on the lighting plan in enough detail to judge its effects on adjacent properties, traffic safety and overhead sky glow. Third, the intensity of those light sources and the light shielding are subject to site plan approval, and wall mounted fixtures are only permitted if directed into the site and not positioned toward neighboring properties or public streets.

Height limits keep fixtures low. In nonresidential zone districts, fixtures may not be mounted higher than twenty-five (25) feet or the height of the building, whichever is less, measured from ground level to the center line of the light source. In residential zone districts the limit is fifteen (15) feet, and lighting for pedestrian ways is limited to twelve (12) feet. Poles must be rust proof metal, cast iron, fiberglass, finished wood or similar decorative material.

The section also fixes average illumination levels: 1.0-2.5 fc for parking lots, 3.0-5.0 fc for loading areas and 0.5-1.0 fc for pedestrian walkways. Lighting must avoid hazards to motorists and pedestrians and nuisance to adjoining owners, and exterior lighting that is not building mounted must be supplied by underground cabling. No part of a building, such as an awning, canopy, lintel or sill, can be internally illuminated or backlighted, although signs permitted under § 17:9-51 are carved out. High-pressure sodium lighting attached to buildings or used to light building exteriors is prohibited, while mercury vapor lamps are described as discouraged.