Bolingbrook, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Code of Ordinances § 30-173(f)(1)d
- Trespass limit
- 0.10 footcandles at residential property line
- Measurement height
- 60 inches above grade
- Sign trespass cap
- 0.1 footcandles, same property-line test
- Review method
- Photometric plan, 10x10-ft grid
- Penalty
- $100.00 per day (Sec. 30-4)
Summary
Bolingbrook caps how much light a nonresidential property can throw onto an adjacent residential lot: no more than 0.10 footcandles measured at the property line, five feet above grade. The rule sits in the subdivision design standards, Chapter 30 of the village code, and is checked through photometric plans before a lighting permit issues.
d.Light trespass. Where nonresidential sites are adjacent to residential sites, the light level at the property line, as measured at a height of 60 inches above grade in a plane at any angle of inclination, produced by the nonresidential site shall not exceed 0.10 footcandles.
Full Breakdown
10 footcandles. The 60-inch measurement height corresponds to eye level, and the any-angle-of-inclination language means the limit applies whether the reading is taken looking straight across the line or up toward a pole-mounted fixture. 10 footcandle figure is the number that controls at the boundary with a home. A developer or business proposing new or altered outdoor lighting must submit a photometric plan with ten-foot by ten-foot illuminance grid plots demonstrating compliance, showing luminaire locations, mounting heights and light levels across the property, including at the shared line with any adjacent residential parcel.
1 footcandles either, so a digital sign cannot use a looser standard than any other commercial fixture. Because Chapter 30 is the village's subdivision and development article, this photometric review happens at the plan-approval stage, administered by the village engineer, rather than as a complaint-driven check on existing homes.
Violations & Fines
No dedicated fine appears in Section 30-173 itself, so the chapter's default penalty in Section 30-4 applies: $100.00 for each violation, with every day a lighting installation exceeds 0.10 footcandles at a residential line treated as a separate offense. The village engineer can withhold lighting sign-off until a photometric plan demonstrates compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can a Bolingbrook business shine onto my yard?
Does the light trespass limit cover digital signs too?
Who checks light trespass compliance in Bolingbrook?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bolingbrook
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