Kenosha, WI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger threshold
- Fixtures over 1,000 initial lumens
- Required fix
- Full cutoff or shielded, no direct sight line
- Measurement point
- 5 feet above ground at property line
- Exempt fixtures
- 5-watt bulbs or less
- Penalty
- $25-$500 forfeiture, up to 60 days jail
Summary
Kenosha caps how much light can spill across a property line: fixtures over 1,000 initial lumens must be full cutoff or shielded so there is no direct line of sight to the lamp or its reflection from five feet above ground at the property boundary, under Code § 4.07(A)(2).
2.Illumination Intensity. All luminaries, including light fixtures, with a total luminous flux greater than one thousand (1,000) initial lumens shall be full cutoff, or shall be shielded or installed so that there is not a direct line of sight between the light source and/or lamp or its reflection and a point five (5) feet or higher above the ground at the property boundary.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 11 Update 1 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
07(A)(2), the "Illumination Intensity" clause of Kenosha's Artificial Light and Glare ordinance, sets a specific brightness threshold rather than a general nuisance standard. It applies to "All luminaries, including light fixtures, with a total luminous flux greater than one thousand (1,000) initial lumens," roughly the output of a 75-watt incandescent bulb. " In practice, a resident or business cannot point an unshielded floodlight, security light, or sign light so a passerby standing at the property line, at eye level or above, can see the bare bulb or its glare reflecting off a fixture housing.
07(B) exempts any bulb rated five watts or under from the entire section, so only brighter fixtures need to meet the cutoff test. Because the rule sits in the general Health chapter rather than the zoning code, it applies to residential and non-residential property alike, and the Department of City Inspections can act on a boundary-line light complaint without a separate zoning variance process. 08: a forfeiture of $25 to $500 plus costs, with up to 60 days in the County Jail if unpaid.
Violations & Fines
Operating a light fixture over 1,000 initial lumens without full cutoff shielding, so that its lamp or reflection is visible from five feet above the property line, violates § 4.07(A)(2). Enforcement follows the Chapter IV general penalty in § 4.08: a forfeiture of not less than $25 nor more than $500 plus prosecution costs, with County Jail commitment up to 60 days for nonpayment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What brightness triggers Kenosha's light trespass rule?
How is compliance measured at the property line?
Can a neighbor make me fix a glaring floodlight in Kenosha?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha
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