Portland, ME Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Land Use Code § 6.8.4, Exterior Lighting
- Fixture standard
- Full cut-off fixtures required
- Scope
- All uses citywide (Article 6)
- Design reference
- City of Portland Technical Manual site standards
- Base penalty
- $100–$500 fine per offense (§ 1-15)
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Enforcer
- Code Enforcement Officer / Building Authority
Summary
Every exterior light fixture installed under Portland's Land Use Code must use full cut-off optics that aim illumination onto the site itself, not onto the neighbors. Land Use Code § 6.8.4 makes this a citywide performance standard for all uses, tying compliance to the City of Portland Technical Manual's site-lighting specifications, with the Code Enforcement Officer empowered to act on violations.
6.8.4 Exterior lighting All exterior lighting shall be designed and installed with full cut-off fixtures to direct illumination onto the site and to prevent illumination from such fixtures on neighboring properties in accordance with the City of Portland Technical Manual.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
" That means a property owner cannot install a floodlight, wall-pack, or pole fixture that throws glare or spill light over a lot line onto an adjoining residential or commercial parcel; the fixture housing itself must cut off light above the horizontal plane so the beam stays contained to the site, with the Technical Manual supplying the photometric detail (fixture types, mounting heights, foot-candle limits) referenced but not restated in the Code itself. 6 (noise), showing the city treats spillover light the same way it treats spillover noise and visual clutter, as a nuisance to be contained at the source rather than tolerated and complained about later.
4 standard governing ordinary development. 1, which authorizes the Building Authority and/or a City of Portland Code Enforcement Officer to institute any legal or equitable action necessary to enforce the Land Use Code, including its lighting standard.
Violations & Fines
Land Use Code § 1.5.2 makes any violation of the Code, including the § 6.8.4 lighting standard, an offense "subject to the penalties and remedies provided in Chapter 1, Section 1-15 of the City of Portland Code of Ordinances and 30-A M.R.S. § 4452." Under Code of Ordinances § 1-15, the default fine is not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00 per offense, and "each act of violation and every day upon which any such violation shall occur shall constitute a separate offense," so an unshielded fixture left in place accrues a new violation daily until corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Portland, Maine require shielded outdoor lighting?
What kind of fixture satisfies Portland's lighting-trespass rule?
Who enforces Portland's exterior lighting standard?
What's the penalty for a non-compliant fixture in Portland?
Does Portland's waterfront have its own lighting rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Maine outdoor lighting overview
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