Millcreek, PA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

The spillover rule sits in § 145-30D(3) of the Millcreek Township Code. Light sources must have a full cutoff so they do not direct light skyward, and they must be arranged with filters or shields to avoid directing light onto adjoining properties or Streets. Fixtures must be properly focused and shielded to minimize spill light and glare onto adjacent properties and into the night sky. The only exception is for light sources that do not exceed three feet above Finished Grade.

Subsection D(1)(a) puts numbers on the same problem for parking areas. The exterior lighting system cannot increase illumination by more than two footcandles at abutting Property Lines in the CR, R1 and R2 Districts, or increase illumination by more than one footcandle at 20 feet beyond those Property Lines. The same paragraph sets a minimum maintained level of at least one footcandle in the general parking areas, defined as 80% of a parking lot.

Other parts of § 145-30 close off common trespass sources. Under subsection B, exterior lighting is directed downward and shielded so that light is confined within the boundaries of the lot, and it cannot blink, flash or be of unusually high intensity. Lighting between a nonresidential building and the property line must be full cutoff, shielded wall-mounted or shielded freestanding light poles. Lighting for private recreational facilities in residential and multi-family districts must be directed downward and shielded so light is confined to the recreation facility and the property, and the lights can only be on while the facility is in use. Entrance lighting at multi-family and nonresidential buildings must be glare-free and cannot exceed 12 feet in height. Section 145-29 separately lists glare from automobile headlights among the nuisances its buffer areas are meant to minimize.