West Hartford, CT Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 177-25 of the West Hartford zoning code, titled Shielding of outdoor lighting, requires that any outdoor lighting used to illuminate signs, or used for spotlighting or floodlighting, be shielded so that the light source cannot be seen from adjacent properties. The rule targets the fixture itself, not just the light it casts: a neighbor should not be able to see the bulb, lamp or lens from their own property, which in practice requires full cutoff or shielded fixtures aimed and hooded so the glare stays on the applicant's own site.

The only carve-out in the section is for signs with exposed neon tubes, which the code allows in all business and industrial districts even though the tube itself remains visible to passersby. Because Section 177-25 sits in Chapter 177's general regulations rather than the sign or site plan articles, it applies townwide to every zoning district and to any use, residential or commercial, that installs spotlighting, floodlighting or illuminated signage. The Zoning Enforcement Officer administers this section along with the rest of Chapter 177 and can require a property owner to add shielding, redirect a fixture, or remove noncompliant lighting under the enforcement authority in Section 177-47.