Warren, MI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

The light trespass standard for auto washes sits inside Article XIV's C-2 General Business District use list, in the subsection that regulates 'Auto wash uses' at Section 14.01(p). That subsection classifies coin-operated self-service, automatic drive-through and automatic conveyor auto washes and sets site design standards for all of them, including a numbered lighting clause at item A.6: parking and building-mounted fixtures must be full cut-off, all site lighting must be shielded and must not encroach upon abutting uses and properties, glare must be eliminated from every fixture, upward-directed lighting is prohibited outright, and light poles cannot exceed twenty feet in height. The site plan submitted for Planning Commission review must include full lighting details for the entire site, and any other premises lighting must conform to 'Edison's Site Lighting Regulations,' referencing the utility's outdoor lighting standard.

Because auto washes are permitted only in C-2, C-3, M-1 and M-2 zones under Section 14.01(p), this lighting standard governs wherever an auto wash actually operates in the city, not just in C-2. Site plan review for an auto wash also routes through the Traffic Division of the Police Department, the Engineering Division and the Public Services Department before the Planning Commission signs off, and no building permit issues until the Planning Commission has approved a detailed site plan, which includes the lighting layout required by item A.6.