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

Sec. 16.05(a) opens the lighting article with eight numbered intent clauses, several aimed squarely at dark-sky preservation: item (5) commits to preserve the restful quality of nighttime by eliminating intrusive artificial light, item (6) to curtail and reverse the degradation of the nighttime environment and the night sky, and item (7) states flatly that the city intends to preserve the dark night sky for astronomy. Those intent statements are backed by operative fixture rules in (c): all lamps must be metal halide unless otherwise approved, outdoor lighting must be directed toward and confined to the ground areas of lawns or parking lots, and under (c)(3) lighting shall utilize cutoff fixtures that are recessed sufficiently such that the light source is not visible from off site.

Floodlight-type fixtures under (c)(5) may be used only for building accent, landscaping and sign lighting, not general illumination. Fixture height under (d) is capped at 20 feet where a site is adjacent to any residential district and 25 feet next to nonresidential districts, measured from parking lot grade. Any site plan proposing new or revised lighting must submit a photometric plan under (h) showing pole and fixture locations, point-by-point horizontal luminance contours including canopy lighting, and manufacturer specification sheets, so the development services department and planning commission can confirm the layout meets both the footcandle table in (b) and the cutoff-fixture and height rules before approval.