Cleveland, OH Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Cleveland Codified Ordinances § 344.09(c)
- Applies to
- Midtown Mixed-Use District (MMUD-1 to -4) only
- Trigger for lighting mandate
- 10+ parking spaces
- Light pole height cap
- 30 feet
- Review body
- City Planning Commission
- Enacting ordinance
- Ord. No. 910-05, eff. 8-22-05
Summary
In Cleveland's Midtown Mixed-Use District, site lighting for buildings, signs and streets must be arranged to control light trespass and glare onto neighboring properties and public roadways, not just to light the site itself.
(c) Lighting Requirements. Appropriate site lighting, including lights for signs, buildings and streets, shall be arranged so as to provide safety, utility and security and control light trespass and glare on adjacent properties and public roadways. Lighting shall be provided for all parking lots in the entire MMUD in accordance with the provisions set forth herein.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
03 for mixed-use redevelopment near the Health-Tech Corridor and Cleveland Clinic. The rule requires that appropriate site lighting, including lighting for signs, buildings and streets, be arranged so as to provide safety, utility and security while also controlling light trespass and glare on adjacent properties and public roadways. 09(c)(2)). 09(c)(3)). 03, not to every parcel in Cleveland; a property outside the district isn't bound by this trespass-control language. The chapter traces to Ord. No. 910-05, passed 7-13-05 and effective 8-22-05, which created the MMUD to steer development along the district's transit and pedestrian corridors.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 344 does not carry its own numeric lighting fine; a site plan or lighting plan that fails to control trespass and glare under § 344.09(c) is enforced through the City Planning Commission's development review for the MMUD, meaning noncompliant lighting can hold up site plan approval or a certificate of occupancy rather than triggering a standalone citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cleveland have a citywide light trespass rule?
How tall can a light pole be in the Midtown district?
What triggers the exterior lighting requirement for a Midtown development?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
Compare Cleveland to another location·View the Ohio outdoor lighting overview
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