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

Section 300.28 subdivision 2(a) of the Minnetonka City Code is the light trespass rule. Exterior lighting must be designed and arranged to limit direct illumination and glare upon or into any contiguous parcel. The numeric test is measured on the property line: reflected glare or spill light shall not exceed five-tenths footcandles when the line abuts a residential parcel, and one footcandle when it abuts a commercial or industrial parcel. Street lights installed in public right-of-way are excepted from these standards. Section 300.28 applies in all zoning districts unless the code specifically states to the contrary.

The same limit appears a second time in the nuisance chapter. Section 845.010, item 13 declares reflected glare or light from private exterior lighting to be a public nuisance when it exceeds five-tenth footcandles as measured on the property line of the property where the lighting is located and abuts a residential parcel, or one footcandle when abutting a commercial or industrial parcel. That makes a neighbor complaint enforceable through the notice and abatement procedure in section 845.045, under which the owner or occupant can appeal in writing to the city clerk before the abatement deadline or within seven calendar days after service of the notice.

Subdivision 2 adds tools beyond the footcandle numbers. Mitigative measures must be used to limit glare and spill light to protect neighboring parcels, and the city can limit the hours of operation of outdoor lighting if it deems that necessary. The city can also require a light distribution plan to confirm compliance. Because the standard is measured at the lot line, the city or its agent can test it, and under section 300.03 subdivision 2 a violator of a section 300.28 performance standard must reimburse the actual cost of those tests and measurements.