Saint Paul, MN Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 63.116(a)
- Footcandle cap at boundary
- 3 footcandles
- Applies to
- All use districts, incl. parking lots
- Review point
- Site plan review, Sec. 63.202
- Enforcing office
- Zoning administrator, DSI
Summary
Saint Paul's zoning code requires all outdoor lighting citywide, including parking lot lighting, to be shielded to cut glare and aimed away from nearby residential districts, with a hard cap of 3 footcandles measured at the residential district boundary.
Sec. 63.116. - Exterior lighting. (a)All outdoor lighting in all use districts, including off-street parking facilities, shall be shielded to reduce glare and shall be so arranged as to reflect lights away from all adjacent residential districts or adjacent residences in such a way as not to exceed three (3) footcandles measured at the residence district boundary.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. ' This is a citywide shielding-and-aiming standard rather than a fixture-type mandate, it does not name specific 'dark-sky compliant' fixtures, but it functionally requires full-cutoff or shielded fixtures wherever a lot is near residential land, because unshielded glare that pushes past three footcandles at the boundary line is itself the violation. The rule applies to office, commercial, and industrial parking lots as well as institutional sites; a business lighting its lot near an H1 or RM2 residential district must design fixtures, poles, and aim angles to stay under the cap at that boundary.
Sec. 116 also separately regulates illumination consistency (subsection (c) requires outdoor feature lighting to stay stationary and constant in intensity and color) and small wind-energy light fixtures (subsection (d), capped at 25 feet in height). The zoning administrator, under the Department of Safety and Inspections, reviews lighting plans as part of site plan review under Sec. 202 before a permit issues, so noncompliant lighting plans are typically caught before installation rather than after a complaint.
Violations & Fines
Operating outdoor lighting that exceeds three footcandles at a residential district boundary, or that is not shielded to reduce glare, violates Sec. 63.116(a) and is enforced as a zoning code violation under Sec. 61.901: a misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation a separate offense under Sec. 61.904. The zoning administrator can require re-aiming, shielding retrofits, or fixture replacement as a condition of continued site plan compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Saint Paul require outdoor lights to be shielded?
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Sources & Official References
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