Eden Prairie, MN Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 11.08, Subdivision 3 of the Eden Prairie City Code sets a direct numeric ceiling on how much light a property can send onto its neighbors. Subdivision 3.A bars glare, whether direct or reflected, from spotlights or high temperature processes from being visible beyond the immediate site where it originates, and Subdivision 3.B goes further with a hard number: illumination measured at the property line cannot exceed 0.5 foot candles. Together these provisions cover both diffuse glare and the actual light level a neighbor experiences at the boundary.

The standard sits alongside the section's other lighting rules, which require pole fixtures to use a downcast shoe box lens, wall fixtures to be shielded and aimed at the ground, and non-horizontal lighting on flagpoles or landscaping to be shielded against spill. The lighting standards apply citywide to every zoning district except Park and Open Space, which is governed instead under Section 11.37. Enforcement runs through the City's site plan and building permit review as well as complaint-based inspection by Community Development.