North Haven Board Considers Dark Skies Restrictions

The North Haven Village Board is poised to enact a new code regarding outdoor lighting under a dark skies initiative.

The board met on October 19 to discuss the proposed code, which met with mostly positive feedback from the community.

The purpose of the code, Mayor Chris Fiore explained, is to prevent residents’ outdoor lighting from “trespassing” onto a neighbor’s property, the road or a waterway.

“The point of it is to keep your light on your own property and to stop light from shining through your neighbors’ windows,” Fiore explained.

According to the proposed code, landscape lighting — for example, up-lighting of any trees — would be limited to 40 watts and need to be shut off by midnight. Safety lights, such as driveway lights, and lighting on top of a front door, however, would be allowed to stay on past midnight if the lighting doesn’t shine into a neighbor’s yard.

Everyone will have 24 months to comply with the code, the trustees explained, adding that they’ve researched neighboring villages’ codes.

“We think this is a very fair proposal,” Fiore said, adding that the code considers what community members have been asking for.

Other lights that would be prohibited in the new code include mercury vapor bulbs; neon signs, unless legally preexisting; laser lights; any light source with a color temperature greater than 2,700 kelvin; flashing, colored or tracing lights; lighting which outlines a structure; and metal halide bulbs.

Trustee Peter Boody added that enforcement is always a problem with such code additions and revisions, something the board will look more closely into with the help of a code enforcer.

Trustee Claas Abraham added that the dark sky initiative isn’t just for the benefit of people — excessive lighting affects local nocturnal animals and insects.

“The goal is for the greater good … I think light should be considered just like noise,” Abraham said.

The proposed code states that all outdoor lighting fixtures must be fully shielded, and bulbs must be fully recessed into an opaque top so that all light is directed downward. All lighting fixtures must be aimed downward and installed as per the manufacturer’s design and installation guidelines, the proposed code states.

Outdoor lighting must be designed, installed, and maintained to minimize glare and light trespass across property lines, into roadways and waterways, the code continues. No light source should be visible beyond the boundary of the property on which it is located, including from a body of water or roadway. Failure to comply is punishable by a $250 fine.

Trustee Terie Diat added, “We are one of the few villages in the area that doesn’t have a dark sky code.”

Resident Barbara Peltz recognized that the lighting initiatives were first created to simply be able to look up at the stars. Peltz said that it’s become “outrageous” as both of her neighbors constantly have lights pointing up at their trees all night and they’re hardly ever in North Haven as it is not a primary residence.

Resident Susan Reed wondered why the code couldn’t have a shorter compliance time than two years. To that, Fiore explained that prices are rising due to inflation and the board wanted to give everyone ample time to purchase new LED bulbs.

The board plans to further discuss the proposal and potentially approve it at the board’s next meeting at 5 p.m. on November 16.