Outdoor Lighting in Rhode Island (2026)
9 rules on the books across Rhode Island, 4 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.
Rhode Island: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsRhode Island General Laws Chapter 42-136 requires state-funded outdoor lighting to be fully shielded, energy efficient…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket's Exterior Lighting ordinance, Chapter 200, requires every fixture on any building, parking area or lot to be…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence requires non-exempt outdoor light fixtures to use cut-off luminaires shielded to a 75-degree angle, capped…
Read full rule →Warwick
Light RestrictionsWarwick has no citywide dark-sky ordinance, but within the City Centre Warwick (CCW) development district, Section…
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.
Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket's Chapter 200, Exterior Lighting, applies to every property in the city and requires all exterior fixtures…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence caps outdoor fixtures at a 75-degree cutoff angle and requires full shielding of the light source at…
Read full rule →Warwick
Some RestrictionsWarwick's zoning ordinance treats stray light the same as noise or odor: an operating standard every use must meet…
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.
Providence
Heavy RestrictionsProvidence's zoning code prohibits off-premise advertising signs, billboards, in every zoning district, so there is no…
Read full rule →Cranston
Some RestrictionsCranston bars lighting any billboard or outdoor advertising structure after 10:00 p.m., a flat citywide curfew set in…
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