Oakland County, MI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

Farmington Hills' Chapter 17 nuisance ordinance is the most direct: outdoor light fixtures must be installed and maintained in a manner that does not permit light trespass beyond the property boundary, with trespass defined as light that falls beyond the property it is intended to illuminate. Façade lighting must be restricted to the façade surface and may only highlight architectural features — light trespass off the façade onto adjacent land is prohibited. Bloomfield Hills (Chapter 24, Article IV) prohibits any glare visible from adjacent residential property or a public street. West Bloomfield's Ordinance C-728 caps spillover at 0.5 footcandle at a residential lot line. Bloomfield Township and Birmingham use the same 0.5 footcandle residential standard. Most non-residential to non-residential spillover is capped at 1.0 footcandle. Photometric plans demonstrating compliance with the footcandle limit are required on all new commercial site plans in Farmington Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, and West Bloomfield. Where a city has no specific footcandle standard (e.g., Royal Oak, Troy), light trespass is enforced under the general nuisance section of the local code and Michigan common law on private nuisance, which provides for injunctive relief and damages where the lighting unreasonably interferes with a neighbor's use and enjoyment of their property.