Farmington Hills, MI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 17-106 defines light trespass as light that falls beyond the property it is intended to illuminate, and subsection (b)(9) turns that definition into an enforceable standard: every outdoor light fixture in the city must be installed and maintained so it does not permit light trespass beyond the property boundary. The rule reaches further than the fixture itself, also covering any fixed reflective or refractive object, such as a window, mirror, or other reflective surface, that redirects light onto a neighboring lot.

Several related standards in the same section reinforce the trespass limit. Flood or spotlights used to illuminate buildings, signs or flags may not be aimed, directed or focused toward residential districts, uses, or public streets. Façade lighting must stay confined to the building surface it highlights, with light trespass expressly prohibited in that context too. For residential properties specifically, subsection (b)(14) sets a numeric ceiling: exterior and interior lighting cannot produce illuminance greater than one footcandle within two feet of the wall of a main building on an adjacent residential property. Security lighting must be aimed only at the area being secured and, if triggered by a motion detector, may not stay on longer than 10 minutes. A property owner can seek relief through a special exception from the zoning board of appeals, sitting as an administrative review board, supported by a lighting consultant's review if the board finds one necessary. Violating the trespass standard is a municipal civil infraction under Section 17-107, the same penalty that applies to the rest of the performance standards article.