Southampton, NY Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 330-340 states the article's purpose is to protect health, safety and welfare, conserve energy, prevent light trespass, protect ecological resources, and preserve the ability to view the night sky's celestial features for present and future generations. Section 330-344 turns that purpose into a design standard: all new or replacement outdoor lighting must be designed, located, lamped, directed and maintained to prevent nuisance lighting, excessive lighting and energy consumption, glare, light trespass, unnecessary skyglow, harm to nearby wildlife, and interference with street travel. Sections 330-345 and 330-346 implement dark-sky shielding for residential and nonresidential properties: fixtures must be fully shielded and aimed straight downward, with narrow exceptions for fixtures under 600 lumens, motion-sensor lights capped at 1,800 lumens that shut off within five minutes, and small driveway pillar lights under 250 lumens.

Lamps may not exceed 3,000 kelvin under § 330-343B(1), and nonresidential fixtures are capped at 2,700 kelvin under § 330-346F. Mounting heights are capped at 12 feet on structures and 10 feet for freestanding residential poles, and nonessential lighting cannot stay on continuously between 10:00 p.m. and dawn under §§ 330-345E and 330-346E. Preexisting fixtures installed before the article's effective date are grandfathered under § 330-342B, but LIPA-leased dusk-to-dawn fixtures had to be replaced or retrofitted with full-cutoff shielding by January 1, 2012.