Madison County, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

086, titled 'Lighting Controls,' sits in the general provisions of the county's zoning code (Chapter 93) and applies across zoning districts rather than to one specific use. The rule covers light used for illuminating signs, parking areas, swimming pools, 'or for any other purpose,' which the Zoning Administrator reads broadly to reach yard lighting, security floodlights and commercial or agricultural site lighting alike. Instead of setting a numeric lumen or foot-candle cap, the ordinance requires that fixtures be arranged so light is directed away from two things: neighboring residential properties and the vision of passing motorists on adjacent roads.

That makes it a glare-and-trespass standard enforced case by case, typically triggered by a neighbor complaint or a site plan review for a special use permit, rather than a routine inspection program. 099(D)(2), which separately requires cell tower lighting to be shielded from spilling beyond the site except where FAA or FCC rules require otherwise. The rule applies only in unincorporated Madison County; incorporated cities such as Edwardsville, Granite City and Collinsville regulate outdoor lighting under their own municipal codes.