Outdoor Lighting in Connecticut (2026)
23 rules on the books across Connecticut, 12 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Dark Sky Rules
Ordinances designed to reduce light pollution, including requirements for shielded fixtures, limits on brightness, and curfews for decorative lighting.
Stamford
Significant RestrictionsStamford Code § 155-4 bans mercury vapor and low-pressure sodium lamps, blinking or color-changing "chase" lighting…
Read full rule →Bethel
Some RestrictionsBethel requires parking, pedestrian and security lighting fixtures to be full-cut-off or fully shielded/recessed, aimed…
Read full rule →Danbury
Some RestrictionsInside Danbury's Downtown Transit-Oriented Development district, every façade, sign, and site light fixture must be…
Read full rule →Hartford
Some RestrictionsHartford's zoning code requires all outdoor light fixtures to point downward and stay confined to areas that need it…
Read full rule →New Haven
Some RestrictionsNew Haven's exterior lighting rule requires all outdoor light sources to aim downward, caps color temperature at 3000…
Read full rule →Ridgefield
Some RestrictionsRidgefield's Exterior Lighting standards require vehicular and pedestrian area fixtures to be full cut-off, IESNA…
Read full rule →Stratford
Some RestrictionsUnder Section 6.7.5 of the Stratford Zoning Regulations, a mounted outdoor fixture in the Town of Stratford…
Read full rule →Light Trespass & Shielding
Rules preventing outdoor lights from shining onto neighboring homes, shielding and full-cutoff fixture requirements, aiming standards, and footcandle caps at the property line.
Bethel
Some RestrictionsBethel's zoning regulations require every exterior light and illuminated sign to be designed and aimed to prevent glare…
Read full rule →Danbury
Some RestrictionsEvery parking lot and loading area light fixture in Danbury must be aimed so its direct rays land entirely within the…
Read full rule →Hartford
Some RestrictionsHartford's zoning code caps how much light a fixture can throw onto a neighbor's property: no more than 0.1 footcandle…
Read full rule →Meriden
Some RestrictionsMeriden's zoning code sets a hard cap on light spilling from manufacturing and industrial uses onto neighboring homes…
Read full rule →New Britain
Some RestrictionsNew Britain's Zoning Ordinance requires motor vehicle sales, repair, wash and towing or storage lot operations to…
Read full rule →New Haven
Some RestrictionsNew Haven requires every outdoor light fixture in a parking lot, driveway, or pedestrian area to be full cutoff or…
Read full rule →Norwalk
Some RestrictionsNorwalk's zoning regulations require every site plan to control outdoor lighting so it does not spill onto neighboring…
Read full rule →Ridgefield
Some RestrictionsRidgefield's Exterior Lighting regulations require every fixture subject to site plan or special permit review to…
Read full rule →Stamford
Some RestrictionsAny Stamford light fixture within 10 feet of a residential property line, residential use, or public right-of-way must…
Read full rule →Stratford
Some RestrictionsSection 6.7.5(A)(1) of the Stratford Zoning Regulations bars outdoor lighting in the Town of Stratford, Connecticut…
Read full rule →West Hartford
Some RestrictionsWest Hartford requires that outdoor lighting used for signs, spotlighting or floodlighting be shielded so the light…
Read full rule →Billboard Lighting
Lighting standards for outdoor advertising, luminance limits, dwell time, sky-glow mitigation, and curfew hours after which billboards must dim or shut off.
Stamford
Heavy RestrictionsStamford's Zoning Regulations flatly prohibit all off-site advertising signs, billboards, anywhere in the city, and any…
Read full rule →Bridgeport
Some RestrictionsEvery lighted off-premises sign in Bridgeport must be shielded so its beams cannot cause glare or impair a driver's…
Read full rule →Meriden
Some RestrictionsMeriden caps how bright a digital billboard can glow: under Section 213-56E(2)(f)[3], the display cannot exceed 0.3…
Read full rule →New Britain
Some RestrictionsIn the City of New Britain, sign and billboard light sources must be shielded so no light source is visible past the…
Read full rule →West Hartford
Some RestrictionsWest Hartford's zoning code requires that any outdoor lighting used to illuminate a sign, including a billboard, be…
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