Hackensack, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum lighting, unattended lots
- 1 footcandle
- Minimum lighting, attended lots
- 2 footcandles
- Glare standard
- No glare toward adjoining dwelling windows
- Applies to
- Multifamily/mixed-use parking in residential districts
- Enforcing office
- Zoning Officer
- Max fine
- $1,250 per day
Summary
Hackensack's zoning code requires lighted parking areas in residential districts to be arranged so they throw no glare onto windows of nearby dwellings. The rule sits inside the multifamily and mixed-use parking standards of the off-street parking chapter, not a separate lighting ordinance.
All parking areas required by this chapter, when located in residential districts, except for one- and two-family structures in all districts, shall be required to be sufficiently lighted so as to ensure safety to both pedestrians and motorists. Such lighting shall be in accordance with the following: ... The lighting in parking areas shall be installed and arranged so as to throw no glare toward windows of dwellings on adjoining residential property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
1D(2)(b) requires that parking areas serving multifamily and mixed-use developments in residential districts, other than one- and two-family homes, be sufficiently lighted for pedestrian and motorist safety: unattended lots need at least one footcandle of illumination throughout, while attended lots need at least two footcandles. 1D(2)(b)[3]: lighting must be installed and arranged so it throws no glare toward the windows of dwellings on adjoining residential property. This means a developer or property manager lighting a parking area cannot simply meet the minimum footcandle level; fixtures also have to be shielded, aimed, or positioned so stray light does not spill onto a neighbor's windows.
The requirement is administered through Chapter 175's site plan and zoning permit process, so a proposed parking lot lighting plan is reviewed for this glare standard before Planning Board approval or issuance of a zoning permit, and the Zoning Officer enforces it against lots that are lit in violation once built. The rule applies specifically to residential-district parking areas serving multifamily buildings and mixed uses with a residential component; it does not separately regulate every outdoor fixture in the city.
Violations & Fines
A parking lot lit in violation of the no-glare standard is enforced as a Chapter 175 zoning violation under Section 175-3.6: the responsible owner, agent or tenant faces a fine of up to $1,250, imprisonment up to 90 days, or both, with each day the glare condition continues counted as a separate violation. Complaints go to the Zoning Officer, who investigates and can pursue abatement, including legal action to correct the condition within five days of written notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hackensack limit light spilling onto my property from a neighboring parking lot?
Does this lighting rule cover single-family home driveways?
Who enforces a glare complaint against a lit parking lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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