Bristol, PA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Light trespass in Bristol Borough is governed by subsection 1 of § 27-511 of the Code, titled General Standards. Subsection 1A is flat: no use shall produce glare off the premises by illumination originating on the premises. The Code defines glare as the sensation produced by light within the visual field that is sufficiently greater than the light to which the eyes are adapted and which causes annoyance, discomfort, or loss in visual performance or visibility, for any period of time, no matter how short in duration. There is no minimum duration, so a brief flash across a property line counts.

Subsection 1B turns the standard into numbers. No bare or direct light source can be visible beyond the lot lines. Illumination from light originating on the site cannot exceed 0.10 footcandles at lot lines not along public roadways, and cannot exceed 0.30 footcandles along public roadways. The side-lot and rear-lot figure is therefore the stricter one, and it protects neighbors more than the street edge does.

Subsection 1D adds a placement rule that protects neighbors directly: no light shall shine directly into windows, onto streets or onto driveways off premises. Holiday lights temporarily displayed during holiday seasons are the one stated exception to that subsection. Subsection 2B requires parking areas, sidewalks and pedestrian walkways to be adequately illuminated with a lighting system designed to prevent any off-site glare and spillover onto adjacent properties, and subsection 2A requires lighting plans showing enough detail to determine effects on adjacent properties.

Signs are covered too. Under § 27-607 a sign can be lit by direct lighting only if the lighting is shielded so no direct light will shine on abutting properties or in the normal line of vision of the public using the streets. Property owners who want to know whether a fixture complies in Bristol Borough should compare the lot-line illumination with the 0.10 and 0.30 footcandle figures and check that no fixture is visible from the neighboring lot.