Stearns County, MN Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies
- In all zoning districts
- Requirement
- Light source must be hooded or controlled
- Covers
- Parking areas, signs, structures, floodlights, welding
- Standard
- No glare directed onto adjoining property
- Also barred
- Creating a traffic hazard
Summary
Stearns County's zoning ordinance requires that lighting for off-street parking areas, signs and other structures be hooded or otherwise controlled at the source. Section 7.15 applies countywide in every zoning district and targets glare from floodlights and high-temperature processes like welding as well as ordinary parking-lot fixtures.
In all districts, any lighting used to illuminate an off-street parking area, sign or other structure shall be installed so as to deflect light away from any adjoining property or from public streets. Direct or sky-reflected glare, whether from floodlights or from high temperature processes such as combustion or welding, shall not be directed onto any adjoining property. The source of lights shall be hooded or controlled in some manner so as not to light adjacent property or create a traffic hazard.
Full Breakdown
' Because the section sits in Article 7's general performance standards rather than in a district-specific chapter, it applies uniformly whether the property is agricultural, residential, commercial or industrial. The rule is written around outcomes, hooding, deflection, and avoiding a traffic hazard, rather than a lumens or footcandle table, so compliance is judged by whether light actually reaches adjoining property or the street, not by a fixture's wattage alone.
Violations & Fines
Section 7.15 has no dedicated fine schedule. A fixture that is not hooded or controlled and that lights an adjoining property, creates sky-reflected glare visible off-site, or creates a traffic hazard fails the standard and is enforced through the Department's zoning permit and compliance process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stearns County require shielded fixtures for parking lot lights?
Does Stearns County's lighting rule cover welding and floodlights?
Is there a specific footcandle limit in Stearns County's lighting ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stearns County
Compare Stearns County to another location·View the Minnesota outdoor lighting overview
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