Several Ulster County towns have adopted dark sky or outdoor lighting regulations to preserve the Catskills rural character. Woodstock, Gardiner, New Paltz, and Rochester require full cutoff fixtures and limit lumens in commercial zones. The Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park promote dark sky values. Light trespass onto neighboring properties is prohibited.
Ulster County has no countywide dark sky ordinance, but several towns have adopted lighting controls aligned with IDA (International Dark-Sky Association) principles. Town of Woodstock Zoning Law §260-30 requires full cutoff/fully shielded fixtures for all non-residential exterior lighting and caps illumination at property lines. Town of Gardiner lighting regulations protect Shawangunk Ridge views near Mohonk and Minnewaska. Town of New Paltz §212-47 requires full cutoff fixtures for parking lots and commercial developments. Town of Rochester (including Accord and High Falls) adopted outdoor lighting standards in 2018. Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park Preserve promote dark sky stewardship as part of the Shawangunk Ridge conservation area. Typical requirements: correlated color temperature (CCT) under 3000K, no uplighting, shielded fixtures, automatic shutoff after business hours, and maximum 0.1 footcandles at residential property lines.
Violations typically cited under town zoning enforcement: initial warning, then $250-$500 per day for continuing violations. Non-compliant fixtures must be retrofitted or replaced. Site plan approvals may be revoked for repeat commercial violations.
Ulster County, NY
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See how Ulster County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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