Naperville, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential-to-residential limit
- 0.10 fc at property line
- Nonresidential-to-residential limit
- 0.10 fc at property line
- Nonresidential-to-nonresidential limit
- 2.0 fc at property line
- Adjoining right-of-way limit
- 0.50 fc (10.0 fc dealership arterial)
- Recreational facility spillover cap
- 1.0 fc residential, 2.0 fc nonresidential
- Zoning Administrator waiver
- up to 20% over standard
Summary
Naperville caps outdoor lighting spillover with hard foot-candle ceilings measured at the property line under Municipal Code section 6-14-4, subsection 3.3.3: 0.10 horizontal foot-candles between residential lots, 2.0 between nonresidential lots, and 0.10 where a nonresidential use borders a residential one. Floodlighting must also be shielded to prevent 'light trespass beyond the property line' under subsection 3.2.3, and lighting facing the adjoining right-of-way is held to 0.50 foot-candles.
3.2.3.All building lighting for security or aesthetics shall include glare controls and shall be shielded. Floodlighting is discouraged, and if used, shall be shielded to prevent disability glare for drivers or pedestrians, light trespass beyond the property line, and light above a 90-degree horizontal plane. Wallpack type fixtures shall not be permitted... 3.3.3.Exterior lighting shall be designed at or below the following average maintained foot-candles at the property line: Residential to residential Horizontal fc: 0.10 Nonresidential to nonresidential Horizontal fc: 2.0 Nonresidential to residential Horizontal fc: 0.10 Intensity at adjoining right-of-way, except as noted below for automotive dealerships Horizontal fc: 0.50
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 101).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-14-4, subsection 3.2.3 requires that any floodlighting used for building security or aesthetics 'be shielded to prevent disability glare for drivers or pedestrians, light trespass beyond the property line, and light above a 90-degree horizontal plane,' and bars wallpack fixtures entirely. Subsection 3.3.3 then sets the numeric ceiling: exterior lighting must be designed at or below an average maintained horizontal illuminance, measured at the property line, of 0.10 foot-candles residential-to-residential, 2.0 foot-candles nonresidential-to-nonresidential, 0.10 foot-candles nonresidential-to-residential, and 0.50 foot-candles at an adjoining right-of-way. Automotive dealerships are carved out separately: their intensity at an adjoining major or minor arterial right-of-way may reach 10.0 foot-candles, and their security, feature-display, merchandise and circulation-area lighting follows the higher IESNA table in subsection 3.3.2 rather than the general property-line limits.
Readings are taken with a direct-reading portable light meter at a height of 3.5 feet above grade (subsection 3.4.2). Outdoor recreational facilities such as ball diamonds, playing fields and tennis courts are exempted from the general property-line table but are still capped at 1.0 foot-candle spilling onto an adjoining residential property line and 2.0 foot-candles onto an adjoining nonresidential line (subsection 3.5.1). Decorative seasonal lighting is limited to fixtures rated 75 watts or less (subsection 3.5.3), and emergency, hazard-warning, transportation and public-walkway lighting is exempt outright (subsections 3.5.2 through 3.5.7).
Where site conditions make the property-line limits impossible to meet, the Zoning Administrator may approve a nonconforming design if it stays within 20 percent of the standard; anything further out of range needs a variance from the City Council (subsection 3.5.8). A lighting plan showing foot-candle readings at the property line is required with the site plan for qualifying development under subsection 3.7.
Violations & Fines
Light-trespass complaints are investigated by the Zoning Administrator, who can require a certified lighting plan and post-installation foot-candle readings before signing off on a project. A fixture exceeding the property-line limits without an approved variance is a code violation subject to Naperville's general penalty, Municipal Code section 1-4-1: $100 to $500 per offense, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can spill onto my neighbor's yard from my property in Naperville?
Do commercial properties have a higher light-trespass limit?
Are ball fields and tennis courts exempt from the property-line lighting limits?
Can the City approve a lighting design that exceeds these limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Naperville
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