Southfield, MI Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Southfield's zoning chapter regulates exterior lighting citywide under Sec. 5.22-4-1, Exterior lighting and glare, covering every zoning district, residential and non-residential. Lighting must be placed and shielded downward to direct illumination onto the site and away from neighboring lots, and it cannot be arranged to cause glare for passing motorists. Any fixture visible from an adjacent street, other than pedestrian-oriented bollard lighting under 42 inches tall, must be indirect or built with a full cut-off shield-type housing so the light source itself is not exposed toward the street.

The section flatly bars spillover: no light is permitted to cross outside the property boundaries it serves. Height is capped at 20 feet for pole-mounted or building-mounted fixtures anywhere in the city, and that maximum drops to 15 feet on any portion of a site adjacent to residential areas, cutting glare and sky-glow closest to homes. City council retains discretion to approve brighter lighting above these ceilings only on a documented safety or security justification, a case-by-case exception rather than a standing waiver. The same section separately addresses indirect glare from sources such as welding arcs, vehicle headlights and exterior doors, requiring each to be screened so illumination does not become a nuisance or hazard to drivers, pedestrians or neighboring parcels.

Site plan review by the planning department is where lighting layouts and fixture cut sheets get checked against these standards before a certificate of occupancy issues.