Winnebago County, WI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Shielding required
- Shaded and directed away from neighbors
- Flashing/color-change
- Prohibited
- Movement/oscillation
- Prohibited
- Scope
- Sign illumination only, not general lighting
Summary
Winnebago County requires externally lit signs to be shaded and shielded away from neighboring properties, bans flashing, color-changing, or moving sign illumination, but sets no general outdoor-lighting or dark-sky standard beyond signage.
Illumination of a sign when allowed by this article shall comply with the following requirements: (1) Internal or external illumination shall not flash or change color. (2) Lighting for an externally illuminated sign shall be shaded, shielded, and directed away from surrounding properties and vehicular traffic. ... (5) Lighting shall not oscillate or move or give the appearance of movement.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 23's sign article is Winnebago County's only outdoor-lighting standard: an externally lit sign's light must be shaded, shielded, and pointed away from surrounding properties and traffic, and no sign illumination may flash, change color, oscillate, or otherwise appear to move. These rules bind every permitted sign in every town where the county's zoning ordinance is in force. The code has no separate glare, footcandle, or dark-sky standard for parking-lot floodlights, yard lights, or other non-sign fixtures, light spilling from those sources is not regulated by county zoning, only from illuminated signage covered by this article.
Violations & Fines
A sign that floods a neighbor's property with unshielded glare, flashes, or moves is a Chapter 23 zoning violation, enforced with the chapter's standard forfeiture, $200–$300 plus court costs per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Winnebago County have a dark-sky or general outdoor lighting ordinance?
Can a business light its sign so it shines onto the neighbor's yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Winnebago County
Compare Winnebago County to another location·View the Wisconsin outdoor lighting overview
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