Waukegan, IL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

10 states its purpose is to prevent light trespass, minimize light pollution, and protect safety, and it applies to all new or replacement outdoor lighting except unshielded holiday lights or approved temporary-use lighting. Flashing, strobe, and laser lights are banned outright, and any fixture that could be mistaken for a traffic signal is prohibited unless a government agency authorized it. All new and replacement fixtures must be full cut-off or fully shielded; non-residential fixtures within 20 feet of a residential line must point toward the interior of the lot and stay fully shielded from that neighbor's view.

rating and 3,000-lumen fixture cap. Wall-mounted lighting on non-residential lots needs a photo sensor, occupancy sensor, or timer that dims by dusk and shuts off by midnight or one hour after closing. Light poles are capped at 20 feet in business districts, 30 feet in manufacturing districts, and 60 feet for schools or recreation fields; residential poles top out at 20 feet and under-soffit fixtures at 5 feet. ratings, and foot-candle readings at every property line before the Zoning Administrator will approve it.