Medina, OH Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Trespass limit
- 1.0 horizontal footcandle
- Measured at
- Side/rear lines next to residential use
- Meter height
- 3.5 feet above ground
- Governing section
- §1145.09(c)(2)-(3)
- First-offense fine
- $150 to $500 (§1103.99)
Summary
Medina caps exterior lighting spillover at one horizontal footcandle measured at any side or rear property line next to a residential use or district. The limit applies to parking, circulation and other outdoor lighting reviewed under the city's parking-area design standards, and is checked with a hand-held light meter at three and a half feet above grade.
(2) Light trespass. In order to maintain privacy, exterior lighting shall be designed and maintained to provide a maximum of one (1) horizontal footcandle illumination at side or rear property lines which are adjacent to a residential use or zoning district. ... (3) Measurement. Light levels shall be measured in footcandles with a direct reading, portable light meter. Measurements shall be taken along a horizontal plane at a height of three and one-half (3½) feet above the ground.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025-01: Local legislation current through June 24, 2025 | State legislation current through December 31, 2024).
Full Breakdown
09(c) sets the exterior lighting standards Medina applies to parking and circulation areas, pedestrian areas and related outdoor areas, requiring that lighting be designed to avoid dark spots that create safety issues while also protecting the privacy of neighboring properties. The light trespass rule in subsection (c)(2) caps illumination at one horizontal footcandle at any side or rear property line adjacent to a residential use or residential zoning district, a limit that applies whether the residential property sits in an R-1 single-family district or is simply a residential use embedded in a commercial district.
Subsection (c)(3) fixes how that limit is checked: a direct-reading, portable light meter measures footcandles along a horizontal plane held three and a half feet above the ground, the same working height used for the rest of the illumination standards in the section. Because the rule lives inside the off-street parking chapter, it applies whenever a Zoning Certificate is required for a parking area, and compliance is documented as part of the exterior lighting plan required under subsection (c)(6), which calls for a full photometric plan whenever a nonresidential or multi-family use sits adjacent to a residential lot.
Violations & Fines
A parking area that exceeds the one-footcandle limit at a residential property line is a Zoning Ordinance violation. The Planning Director can order correction under Sections 1107.04 and 1107.05, and an uncorrected violation is prosecuted under Section 1103.99, with fines of $150 to $500 for a first offense rising to $500 to $1,000 for a third offense, each day treated separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can spill onto my neighbor's residential property from a Medina parking lot?
How is light trespass measured in Medina?
Does the light trespass limit apply to every property, or just parking lots?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medina
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