Macomb County has no countywide dark-sky or outdoor-lighting ordinance. Exterior lighting standards, including shielding and glare limits, are set by each city, village, or township through its zoning ordinance, mainly for commercial and multi-family sites.
Macomb County government does not impose dark-sky or exterior-lighting standards on private property. Under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, outdoor-lighting regulation is part of local zoning, so any requirement to shield fixtures, cap illumination, or limit light spillover comes from the city, village, or township where the property sits. Many Macomb communities include lighting standards in their zoning ordinances for parking lots, commercial developments, and multi-family projects, commonly requiring full-cutoff or shielded fixtures and setting maximum foot-candle levels at the property line to reduce glare. Detached single-family homes face far fewer restrictions and are more often addressed through nuisance or light-trespass complaints. Owners planning major exterior or commercial lighting should confirm requirements with the local planning department.
Installing unshielded commercial or parking-lot lighting that exceeds the local foot-candle limit at the property line, or that violates site-plan lighting conditions, can result in code-enforcement action, orders to reaim or shield fixtures, and fines under the local ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how St. Clair Shores's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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