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

Article 33 of the Zoning Law, Exterior Lighting, states its purpose at § 215-33.1: permit lighting needed for visibility and security while keeping it within the minimum levels recommended by the International Dark Sky Association and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, curtailing light pollution and skyglow and minimizing offsite impacts like light trespass. Applicability is set at § 215-33.2.A: these standards reach nonresidential uses including industrial uses, mixed-use development, and multi-family dwellings over four units, all requiring development plan review approval under Article 42 before any exterior lighting is erected.

The Town Board's operative design rule sits at § 215-33.4: Subsection A encourages, without requiring, fixtures compliant with International Dark Sky Association standards, while Subsection B imposes a mandatory shielding standard: fixtures shall be fully shielded and pointed downward to minimize skyglow, glare and light trespass, with luminaries hooded so the cone of direct illumination is capped at a 60-degree angle from perpendicular, an angle that can widen to 90 degrees only for fixtures mounted less than three feet above grade. A lighting plan meeting Article 33's specifications, prepared by a lighting professional, must be filed with the development plan review application before the Code Enforcement Officer or reviewing body can approve any covered project's exterior lighting.