Cheektowaga, NY Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Max at property line facing residential
- 0.2 footcandle
- Max at property line facing commercial/ROW
- 0.5 footcandle
- Max at ROW facing residential across street
- 1.0 footcandle
- Fixture height within 50 ft of residential use
- Max 15 feet
- Governing sections
- § 260-48C(7), D(1)(b)-(d)
- First-offense fine
- $50 to $350
Summary
Town Code § 260-48C(7) sets a hard number on light trespass: outdoor lighting on a nonresidential or multifamily site can't exceed 0.2 footcandle at the property line facing a residential use, or 0.5 footcandle facing a commercial site or public right-of-way, measured at ground level.
(7) All outdoor lighting shall be designed and located such that the maximum illumination measured in footcandles at the property line does not exceed 0.2 on adjacent residential use and 0.5 on adjacent commercial sites and public rights-of-way. ... (1)(b) Illumination at the public right-of-way line when a nonresidential use is across the public right-of-way from a residential use shall not exceed one footcandle.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4996449; v35 updated 2026-05-26; through 05-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
5 footcandle where it faces a commercial site or public right-of-way. A companion rule in § 260-48D(1)(b) tightens that further across a street: where a nonresidential use sits across the public right-of-way from a residential use, illumination at the right-of-way line can't exceed one footcandle. Section 260-48D(1) layers on physical controls for any site adjacent to residential use, requiring all lights to be shielded away from the residential use (D(1)(a)), capping any fixture within 50 feet of a residential use at 15 feet in height (D(1)(c)), and barring unshielded security wall packs from facing a residential use at all (D(1)(d)).
Section 260-48C(8) separately forbids orienting any fixture so it directs glare or excessive light onto a street in a way that could distract or interfere with drivers. Compliance is confirmed through the site lighting plan required under § 260-48B, reviewed by the Office of Building Inspections before installation.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the property-line footcandle limits or leaving security lighting unshielded toward a residential use violates Chapter 260 and is punishable under § 260-72A: $50 to $350 for a first offense, $350 to $700 for a second within five years, and $700 to $1,000 for a third within five years, with each week of continued violation counted separately. The Office of Building Inspections enforces compliance through the required lighting plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can a Cheektowaga business legally throw onto my yard?
Does the light-trespass limit change across a street?
Can a security wall pack face my house directly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cheektowaga
New York rules heatmap·Compare Cheektowaga to another location·View the New York outdoor lighting overview
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