Sauk County, WI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Sauk County's light-trespass rule sits in Section 7.091(7) of the zoning code, immediately after the general shielding requirement in paragraph (a). Section 7.091(7)(b) requires that all outdoor lighting fixtures subject to the section be placed to prevent light trespass or glare beyond the property line, a placement standard distinct from the shielding requirement, since a fixture can be shielded and still be aimed or positioned so its beam crosses onto a neighboring parcel. Section 7.091(7)(c) adds a second, related limit: no outdoor lighting fixture may be of a type or placement that allows any light above the horizontal plane, measured at the luminaire itself, which is the standard way zoning codes stop uplight that washes into the night sky or across adjoining land.

Both paragraphs sit inside the Parking and Loading subchapter, so they bind lighting installed for parking, loading, and circulation areas whenever a land use permit is triggered under Section 7.089, which reaches every zoning district and every use, not solely commercial sites. The Zoning Administrator reviews compliance with these placement limits through the lighting plan required with a land use permit application under Section 7.153(4)(f), which must show the location, height, type, orientation, and power of each proposed fixture before the county issues the permit.