The McHenry County UDO requires new permanent residential lighting to be positioned so the bulb or polished reflective surface cannot be seen directly through a neighbor's residence window, curbing light trespass. Period-style fixtures are the only exception.
UDO § 16.60.020B addresses residential light trespass: new permanent lighting for a residential use must be positioned to prevent a direct view of the bulb or polished reflective surface through a window of a residence, except for "period-style" fixtures. Parking-area lighting must be shielded to prevent glare or reflection onto neighboring properties or public streets, and any commercial or industrial glare or flickering light must be shielded, screened, or conducted so no glare crosses lot lines. Non-permanent decorative and holiday lighting is exempt. These rules apply in unincorporated McHenry County; cities such as Crystal Lake and Woodstock have their own nuisance-lighting standards.
Glare or spillover crossing property lines is a zoning violation; the Zoning Enforcement Officer can require offending fixtures be repositioned or shielded.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Crystal Lake collects yard waste and food-scrap compost weekly at the curb from April 1 through November 30. Leaves and grass must go in biodegradable paper ...
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Crystal Lake and McHenry County have no ordinance specifically banning or approving residential artificial turf. Installations must still meet Unified Develo...
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Illinois' Homeowners' Native Landscaping Act bars community associations from banning native-species plantings that are kept free of weeds and don't encroach...
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Neither Crystal Lake nor McHenry County prohibits residential rain barrels or rainwater collection, and Illinois has no statewide ban. The McHenry County Sto...
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Crystal Lake uses a color-coded water-conservation system. During a declared 'Yellow' condition, odd-numbered addresses water on odd dates and even addresses...
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Crystal Lake Chapter 526 lists noxious weeds - burdock, ragweed, thistle, poison ivy, wild mustard and others - plus any unmanaged vegetation as nuisance gre...
See how McHenry County's light trespass rules stack up against other locations.
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