Bayonne, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 33-10.10 of the Planning and Development Regulations sets Bayonne's site lighting design standards, reviewed by the Division of Community Development/Planning and Zoning whenever a subdivision or site plan application comes before the Planning Board. Subsection a sets minimum average illumination by use: 1.5 footcandles for industrial parking areas and pedestrian areas, two footcandles for other parking areas, three footcandles at driveway entrances and five footcandles in loading areas. Subsection b then caps the spillover onto neighbors: maximum illumination at any property line cannot exceed one footcandle, and every fixture must carry shielding aimed away from adjoining properties, the light trespass rule that governs this page.

Subsection c limits light pole height by lot use, capping pedestrian-area poles at 12 feet, poles serving lots of 25 cars or fewer at 20 feet, and poles serving larger lots at 30 feet, and requires rustproof metal or decorative wood poles with underground wiring. Because these standards sit in the site plan chapter, they attach at the permitting stage: the Division reviews photometric plans against the one-footcandle property-line cap and the shielding requirement before signing off, and can require a redesign rather than approve a plan that spills light onto a neighboring yard.

Once a site is built, a homeowner or business whose lot receives glare from a neighboring commercial or multifamily property can bring the mismatch to the Division or the Zoning Officer as a code compliance issue. Because Chapter 33 does not set its own fine for a lighting violation, any conviction defaults to the Chapter 1 general penalty: up to $1,250, 90 days in the county jail, or 90 days of community service under § 1-5.1, with each day the excess light continues counted as a separate violation under § 1-5.5.