Limit Bright Outdoor Lighting in Residential Areas
Enacted on Oct 26, 2026
Signed into Law
Local Law 2026/151
✦ Plain-Language Summary
This bill would restrict very bright outdoor lights (over 3,000 lumens) in residential neighborhoods unless they are properly shielded to prevent light from spilling onto neighboring properties. Property owners who violate this rule would face a $50 fine.
The story behind this bill
Why it was introduced
Council members said bright outdoor lights on homes can shine into neighbors' windows, disturb sleep and quality of life, and harm birds and wildlife. New York City's night skies are rated the highest level of light pollution on the Bortle scale, but no city agency had a formal way to handle complaints about bright residential lights.
At the hearings
Committee on Environmental Protection and Waterfronts · 2026-04-06
Council Member Wong introduced the bill as a simple fix for obnoxious neighbor lights. DEP and DOB said no agency currently handled such complaints and raised many technical questions about measurement, enforcement, and cost.
In support
- Kathy Nizzari and Margaret Lee, Lights Out Coalition: Shielded, dimmer lighting protects migratory birds from fatal collisions and helps human health.
- Tina Pina (Mother Pigeon), resident and wildlife advocate: Supported the bill as part of broader efforts to protect city wildlife.
- Council Member Phil Wong (sponsor): Bright unshielded lights from neighbors reduce quality of life and keep children awake.
Raised concerns
- DEP (Deputy Commissioner Beth DeFalco): Bill lacks clarity on terms, zoning scope, measurement method, and enforcement responsibility and funding.
- DOB (Assistant Commissioner Renaldo Hylton): DOB does not currently accept light complaints or have trained inspectors or equipment, and cannot yet estimate costs.
City agencies: DEP supported the goal of reducing unnecessary light but said the bill needed clearer definitions, measurement standards, and an assigned enforcing agency before it could work.
“This bill, Intro 804, will make it illegal to have outdoor illumination greater than 3,000 lumens in a residential district, unless the lighting is fully shielded.”
“While we don’t believe that the bill is enforceable as it stands now, as always, we’re happy to work with the Council to help tighten the bill so it can achieve the goals in a clear and enforceable way.”
“We are not equipped right now to give an estimate, because we don’t really have– since this is kind of new to us, you know, to do that we would have to– there would be some kind of agreement on what type of meters would be appropriate and all that and then some research on those costs.”
Show 1 more hearing
Committee on Environmental Protection and Waterfronts · 2026-09-10
The committee voted on a revised bill, Intro 804-A, which switched to measuring illuminance (footcandles/lux) at a neighbor's window instead of lumens, limited scope to 1- and 2-family low-density homes, and set penalties enforced by DOB. It passed unanimously in committee.
In support
- Council Member Phil Wong (sponsor): Revisions give clarity on measurement, limit scope to low-density districts, and allow a cure period.
- Council Member Gennaro: Praised the sponsor for working through concerns to produce workable legislation.
“It provides clarity on allowable lumens to be measured at the nearest neighbor's window, which clearly limits this regulation to low-density residential districts and allows a cure period.”
“I think we all would agree that shining a floodlight into your neighbor's home is not very neighborly.”
How it turned out
The bill passed the committee 5-0 and the full Council 46-3 with 1 abstention on September 10, 2026. The Mayor did not sign or veto it within the required time, so it became law automatically through the City Charter's 'Rule Adopted' process on October 10, 2026, and was returned unsigned on October 13, 2026.
What changed along the way
- Switched the standard from a 3,000-lumen light-source limit to a 1-footcandle (11 lux) illuminance limit measured at a neighbor's window
- Narrowed scope to only 1- and 2-family homes in low-density residential districts (R-1 through R-5, no commercial overlay)
- Assigned enforcement to the Department of Buildings with civil penalties up to $500, reducible to $0 if the fixture is shielded, moved, or removed
- Added exemptions for signs, temporary ornamental displays, and construction safety lighting
- Delayed effective date to 270 days after becoming law
What the record doesn’t say
- The documents do not explain why the Mayor chose not to sign or veto the bill, only that it became law without a signature.
- The record does not say why Council Members Ariola, Hudson, and Nurse voted no, or why Sanchez abstained, at the full Council vote.
- The transcripts do not show how DEP's and DOB's specific technical objections from the April hearing (measurement method, agency responsibility, cost estimates) were ultimately resolved between the two hearings.
Sources
- Committee Report 4/6/26
- Hearing Transcript 4/6/26
- Proposed Int. No. 804-A Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council
- Committee Report 9/10/26
- Committee Report - Stated Meeting
- Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 9-10-26
- Hearing Transcript 9/10/26
Written by AI from official Council records. Votes and status come from the record; quotes are checked word for word against the official hearing transcripts.
Details
- Introduced
- Mar 26, 2026
- Passed Council
- Oct 10, 2026
- Enacted
- Oct 10, 2026
- Body
- Committee on Environmental Protection and Waterfronts
- Type
- Introduction
- Status
- Enacted
Sponsors (4)
Official Description
This bill would establish a maximum allowable illuminance of 1 footcandle (11 lux) for certain residential outdoor lighting fixtures. The illuminance limit would apply only to 1- and 2-family homes in low-density residential districts. Outdoor lighting fixtures that are government-operated, used to illuminate a parking lot or sidewalk shed, used for construction safety, part of lawful signs, or part of temporary ornamental displays would be exempt. The Department of Buildings would issue a civil penalty to violators, with the ability to reduce such penalty to $0 if the violator takes steps to prevent the light from shining onto neighboring properties by shielding, relocating, or removing the outdoor lighting fixture.