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

Section 1250.04.03(a) defines "light trespass" as "the shining of light produced by a luminaire beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is located," the umbrella term the numeric standard in subsection (b) is built to prevent. That numeric standard, § 1250.04.03(b)(1)b. for freestanding pole lighting, reads: "The intensity of light shall not exceed five foot-candles within any site. For sites abutting a residential district or use, the intensity of light cannot exceed 0.5 foot-candles at the property line. A maximum of ten foot-candles is permitted within a site for gasoline stations and automobile dealerships as long as the light intensity does not exceed the allowable intensities at the property line." Subsection (b)(2)b. repeats the identical three-tier limit for building-mounted lighting, so a wall pack next to a house is held to the same 0.5 foot-candle property-line cap as a parking lot pole.

Two related provisions round out the trespass rule: § (b)(3) requires that any light fixture visible through a window be shielded to prevent glare at the property line, and bars luminous tube or exposed-bulb fluorescent lighting visible from the property line outright; and § (b)(4) requires every pole, fixture, and bulb to be kept "in a proper state of repair and free from hazardous conditions," so a failing or misaimed fixture that starts spilling light onto a neighbor's yard is itself a maintenance violation, not just a design one.