Islip, NY Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential lot-line cap
- 0.05 footcandle, horizontal or vertical
- Commercial-to-commercial cap
- 0.1 footcandle
- Governing section
- Code § 68-687 (Art. LII)
- Prohibited fixtures
- unshielded wall packs and floodlights
- Verification
- photometric grid required at site-plan review
Summary
Islip's exterior-lighting article sets a hard numeric ceiling on light trespass: no more than 0.05 footcandle, measured horizontally on the ground or vertically five feet up, at any property line adjoining a residential parcel or public right-of-way. Between two commercial properties the cap doubles to 0.1 footcandle.
No luminaire shall be located or concentrated so as to produce glare or direct illumination across the boundary property line, nor shall any such light be of such intensity as to create a nuisance or detract from the use and enjoyment of adjacent property. ... The maximum illuminance at or beyond the property line that adjoins a residential parcel or public right-of-way may not exceed 0.05 fc horizontal on the ground or 0.05 fc vertical measured at a five-foot height above the ground, unless another applicable law supersedes. Maximum horizontal or vertical illuminance allowed between adjacent commercial properties is 0.1 fc.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4826765; v112 updated 2026-02-24; through 02-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 68-687, Illuminance and type of lamp for all nonresidential exterior lighting, is Islip's operative light-trespass standard. Subsection A(1) bars any luminaire from being 'located or concentrated so as to produce glare or direct illumination across the boundary property line,' and further prohibits light of such intensity that it creates a nuisance or detracts from a neighbor's use and enjoyment of their property. 1 footcandle where the adjoining parcels are both commercial. ' Beyond the illuminance cap, § 68-688A separately requires all exterior lighting to be designed and located to prevent light trespass, overlighting, glare, energy waste and unnecessary skyglow, and § 68-688G flatly prohibits unshielded wall packs and floodlights, the fixtures most likely to throw light across a lot line.
Compliance is verified at the permit stage: § 68-689 requires site-plan applications for new construction or expansions over 25% of building or site area to submit a photometric grid showing footcandle readings on a five-foot square grid at the property line.
Violations & Fines
The Town's Planning and Development Division reviews photometric plans at site-plan and building-permit stage, and Code Enforcement can act on complaints against existing installations. Fixtures exceeding the 0.05/0.1 footcandle caps or otherwise causing glare across a lot line are nonconforming and must be brought into compliance on any repair, relocation or replacement, and can be ordered changed or removed where they cause disabling or distracting glare into a public roadway.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can cross my property line from a neighbor's business in Islip?
What is 'light trespass' under Islip's code?
Do commercial floodlights need to be shielded?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Islip
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