Wayne, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

The light trespass limits in Wayne Township sit in subsection E of § 134-77, which applies to site plan applications for nonresidential and residential developments. When lights are provided, the intensity must comply with four printed standards. Parking lots: not less than 0.5 and not more than 1.0 lumen per foot. Intersections: not less than 0.5 lumen per square foot. At property lines: not more than 0.1 lumen per square foot. In residential areas: an average of 0.1 lumen per square foot.

The property line figure is the trespass cap. Whatever the parking lot or intersection design needs, the light reaching the lot line cannot exceed 0.1 lumen per square foot. The lighting plan that goes in with the site plan must therefore show intensity in lumens per square foot at ground level and the effective radius of each light source, and those are the numbers the Board has to check against the property line limit.

Subsection F handles service areas such as loading and trash yards. Service area lighting must be contained within the service yard's boundaries and enclosure walls, and no light spillover shall occur outside the service area. Subsection D works with these numbers by requiring shielding, with a 150 degree maximum apex angle for the cone of illumination or a lesser angle needed to shield the lights from the view of any adjacent residential properties, and by prohibiting spotlight-type fixtures attached to buildings.

Subsection G keeps trespass down in residential zones by allowing lighting only where site specific safety conditions warrant. Where street lighting is provided, its location is subject to the review of the Board. Section 134-77 was amended 2-15-2012 by Ord. No. 6-2012 and is part of Chapter 134, Land Development.