Sangamon County, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Beaming onto residences
- Prohibited outright
- Revolving beacon lights
- Banned on signs
- Applies in
- A, B-1/2/3, I-1/2 districts
- Enforced by
- County zoning administrator
Summary
County Code Section 17.62.070 bars illuminated signs in Sangamon County's business and industrial districts from beaming light onto any residential building, residential district, or street, and also bans revolving beacons and bare incandescent bulbs.
Unless otherwise specified by this Ordinance, all signs in the A, B-1, B-2, B-3, I-1 and I-2 Districts may be illuminated. However, no sign regulated by this ordinance may utilize:
An exposed incandescent lamp with an external reflector and without a sunscreen or comparable diffusion. Any exposed incandescent lamp unless a screen is attached or unless the sign is placed over fifteen (15) feet above the ground. Any revolving beacon light. Lighting which beams upon any part of any residential building or into a residential district or into a street. (Res. 12 Ex. D(part), May 8, 2001)
Full Breakdown
Section 17.62.070 lets signs be illuminated in the county's A, B-1, B-2, B-3, I-1 and I-2 zoning districts, but bans four lighting practices outright: exposed incandescent lamps without a sunscreen or comparable diffuser, exposed incandescent lamps under fifteen feet without a screen, revolving beacon lights, and, the county's core light-trespass rule, any lighting that beams onto a residential building, into a residential district, or into a street. A property owner whose sign glare crosses onto a neighboring home can be cited by the county zoning administrator under this section.
Violations & Fines
Illuminating a sign so it beams onto a residential building, district, or street, or using a bare incandescent lamp or revolving beacon, violates Section 17.62.070 and can draw a removal or repair order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sign in unincorporated Sangamon County shine light onto a neighboring house?
Are revolving beacon lights allowed on business signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sangamon County
Compare Sangamon County to another location·View the Illinois outdoor lighting overview
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