Lakeville, MN Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Lakeville City Code section 11-16-17 regulates every outdoor light source in the city to cut light pollution and light trespass onto adjoining land. The cumulative light cast by all fixtures on a property cannot exceed 115 foot-candles measured at any ground-level point, and no source that casts light onto a public street may exceed 1 foot-candle at the right-of-way or property line. For commercial, industrial and institutional parking lots and structures, fixtures must carry a cutoff directing light at 90 degrees or less, and any fixture within 30 feet of residential-zoned property needs added shielding on the property-line side to keep glare off that residential land.

Building facades may only be lit from fixtures mounted on top and aimed downward. Pole-mounted fixtures are capped at 35 feet in height, and a building-mounted light cannot exceed the building's own height. Every outdoor light source must sit back at least 10 feet from a public right-of-way and 5 feet from an interior side or rear lot line. Direct or reflected glare from combustion or welding cannot be visible from any adjoining property. Searchlights need an administrative permit, are capped at two events per year and five consecutive days per event, and can only run during business hours.

Laser, strobe and flashing lights are prohibited outright, as are bare light bulbs visible from adjacent property or the right-of-way unless part of a permanent fixture. The Planning and Community Development Department reviews lighting plans as part of site plan and building permit approval, and code enforcement can require retrofitting of a fixture found to be casting light beyond these limits onto a neighbor's yard.