Elgin, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

The spillover limit sits in Elgin's Outdoor Lighting chapter, Chapter 19.13 of the zoning title, in the Standards section. Subsection D says the maximum light trespass permitted to spill over onto any residential zoned property or public street right-of-way from a community facility, business, or industrial zoned property cannot exceed one-half horizontal footcandle. The rule runs in one direction: the source lot must be zoned community facility, business, or industrial, and the receiving ground is a residential zoned lot or a street right-of-way. The chapter's purpose clause, section 19.13.100, names control of glare and light trespass alongside nighttime safety, security, and energy conservation.

Compliance is measured, not judged by eye. Section 19.13.135 requires both direct and indirect light to be read in footcandles with a direct reading, portable light meter. The reader waits until the cell has been exposed long enough to give a constant reading, and horizontal measurements are taken three and one-half feet above the ground.

The limit is paired with a plan requirement. Under section 19.13.120, an outdoor lighting plan goes to the department of code administration and development services before any outdoor lighting is installed or modified. The plan shows fixture locations, footcandle levels at points across the site, catalog cuts, and a summary table that includes the maximum footcandles at a residential property line or public street right-of-way line. Routine maintenance on existing fixtures needs no plan.

Other rules in the chapter shrink the spill at its source. Section 19.13.125 bars direct light above a horizontal plane from any luminaire rated above 1,800 lumens and from spot or flood luminaires rated above 900 lumens, and caps their mounting height at 25 feet when they sit within 50 feet of a residential property line or street right-of-way line.

Several exemptions apply. Section 19.13.115 excludes public street lighting, temporary seasonal decorative lighting, safety lighting such as airport and emergency operations lighting, and outdoor recreational uses, which must still be aimed to minimize spillover onto residential properties and use a landscaped buffer yard where spillover is unavoidable. Section 19.13.130(B) exempts lighting at single-family detached dwellings and multiple-family dwellings with residential parking areas when the lamps are rated at 100 watts or less.