Portland, ME Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Land Use Code § 6.8.4, Exterior lighting
- Core standard
- Full cut-off fixtures required
- Effective date
- July 1, 2026
- Applies to
- All uses under Article 6 performance standards
- Office park cross-reference
- § 6.4.28.E, hooded/shielded, light shines downward
- Enforcement
- Code Enforcement Officer under § 1.5.1
- Violation penalty basis
- Code § 1-15 and 30-A M.R.S. § 4452
Summary
Portland's Land Use Code makes full cut-off fixtures the citywide standard for exterior lighting on developed sites, requiring light to be aimed down onto the property rather than spilling onto neighbors. The rule sits in Article 6's performance standards, applies to all uses under the Code effective July 1, 2026, and is echoed by a separate hooded-or-shielded requirement written specifically for office park developments.
All exterior lighting shall be designed and installed with full cut-off fixtures to direct illumination onto the site and to prevent illumination from such fixtures on neighboring properties in accordance with the City of Portland Technical Manual.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
4 of the Land Use Code, titled "Exterior lighting," sits inside Article 6's performance standards, which the Code says apply to "all uses" citywide unless a federal, state, or local law is more restrictive. The operative text requires every exterior fixture to be a full cut-off type that directs light onto the site itself and keeps it off neighboring properties, and it ties compliance to the separately maintained City of Portland Technical Manual for fixture specifications. Article 3's definitions section reinforces the standard by defining "Fixture, fully shielded" as one built and mounted so that all light -- whether direct from the lamp or tube, or reflected/refracted off any part of the fixture -- projects below the horizontal; if the lamp, tube, reflective surface, or lens is visible from above or from the side at any angle, the fixture does not qualify.
E for office park developments, which states plainly that "All light fixtures shall be hooded or shielded so that the light shines downward" -- the same downward-cutoff concept applied to a specific use category. 7's use standards, which bars light sources from unreasonably spilling onto adjacent residential properties and likewise points back to the Technical Manual. 2.
Violations & Fines
Section 1.5.2 makes any owner, occupant, or person in control of a building or premises who violates a Land Use Code provision -- including the Section 6.8.4 lighting standard -- guilty of an offense subject to "the penalties and remedies provided in Chapter 1, Section 1-15 of the City of Portland Code of Ordinances and 30-A M.R.S. § 4452." The Code Enforcement Officer or Building Authority initiates enforcement action, with the Corporation Counsel able to pursue any legal or equitable remedy the Code requires.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Portland, Maine require shielded outdoor lighting?
What makes a fixture "fully shielded" under Portland's code?
Do office parks in Portland face a separate lighting rule?
Who enforces Portland's exterior lighting standard and what happens if I don't comply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
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