McLean County, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Code § 350-38.G(4)
- Applies to
- C Commercial District exterior fixtures
- Standard
- Shaded, no direct light on neighbors
- Glare rule
- Not visible to public street traffic
- Same rule also in
- M-1 District, § 350-39G(4)
Summary
Commercial properties in McLean County's C Commercial District must shade exterior lighting fixtures so no direct light falls on neighboring property and no glare is visible to street traffic, under Zoning Code Section 350-38G(4), the county's core light-trespass standard.
Exterior lighting fixtures shall be shaded so that no direct light is cast upon any neighboring property and so that glare is not visible to traffic on any public street.
Full Breakdown
Section 350-38G(4) sits inside the use limitations for the C Commercial District and requires that exterior lighting fixtures be shaded so that no direct light is cast upon any neighboring property and so that glare is not visible to traffic on any public street. The same use-limitations subsection layers on related buffering requirements that work together with the lighting rule: Section 350-38G(1) requires a transition belt of at least 20 feet along any interior lot line adjacent to a residential district or a lot with a dwelling as its principal use, Section 350-38G(2) requires a transition screen meeting the landscape specifications of Article VII within that belt, and Section 350-38G(6) requires a six-to-eight-foot fence or wall with at least 70% density along residential-adjacent lot lines.
The identical light-shading requirement appears in Section 350-39G(4) for the M-1 Restricted Manufacturing District, extending the same standard to light industrial development near residential areas. The Director of Building and Zoning reviews site plans for compliance, and the Zoning Board of Appeals can additionally restrict a commercial use's hours of operation under Section 350-38G(5) if needed to preserve nearby residential character. This rule reaches only unincorporated county commercial land; Bloomington and Normal set their own outdoor lighting standards under their separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Installing or operating exterior lighting fixtures in a C Commercial District that cast direct light onto neighboring property or produce glare visible to street traffic violates Section 350-38G(4). The Director of Building and Zoning can require the fixture shielded, redirected or removed as a condition of continued site plan compliance, and unresolved complaints can be referred for zoning enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does McLean County regulate light spilling onto neighboring property from a commercial site?
Does the exterior lighting rule apply to industrial properties too?
Who enforces the commercial lighting rule in McLean County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McLean County
Compare McLean County to another location·View the Illinois outdoor lighting overview
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