If you are concerned about lights presently trespassing into your home, then see the Tips for Stopping Light Trespass section of this webpage. If your concern is how a proposed warehouse, data center, or other development may cause light glare into your home then CEDS can help. If you need immediate assistance with a proposed development anywhere in the USA, contact CEDS at 410-654-3021 or Help@ceds.org. Through our nationwide network of Good Attorneys, engineers, environment experts, and other professionals, we can help ensure that a proposed development does not receive a zoning change, conditional use, special exception, special use, or other permits-approvals until light trespass and all potential impacts to you and your neighbors have been fully resolved.

LIGHT TRESPASS BASICS

Below are the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting from Dark Sky International. Adhering to these five principles should prevent light trespass into nearby homes and yards. Below are examples of good and bad lighting. The best is well-shielded so that light is directed downward and only illuminates the area that needs to be lit.

LIGHT TRESPASS & HEALTH

According to the Dark Sky article Light pollution affects human health:

“Research suggests that artificial light at night can negatively affect human health, increasing risks for obesity, depression, sleep disorders, diabetes, breast cancer and more.”

and

“Many studies have shown that exposure to artificial light at night negatively affects human health, including increased risk for: Sleep disorders, Depression, Obesity, Diabetes, Heart disease, and Cancer.”

PREVENTING LIGHT TRESPASS FROM PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

Development applicants should be required to submit a plan showing proposed lighting and any proposed measures intended to prevent light trespass and dark sky impacts. The Dark Sky Society publication Guidelines for Good Exterior Lighting Plans contains a number of important safeguards such as:

“Light levels at the property line should not exceed 0.1 footcandles (fc) adjacent to business properties, and 0.05 fc (the brightest moonlight is 0.01 fc) at residential property boundaries.”

A proposed development lighting plan should show that this and the other 11 Dark Sky Society Guidelines are met. If you wish, CEDS can do a quick, no-cost review of a plan to determine if it will prevent light trespass. Contact CEDS at 410-654-3021 or Help@ceds.org to discuss forwarding the plan to us and other services.

TIPS FOR STOPPING LIGHT TRESPASS

The step recommended below have proven to be the most effective for resolving the issue of lights presently shining into a home. In the following paragraphs the person(s), business or agency causing disturbing noise is referred to as the responsible party. In addition to these tips, check out the great Readers Digest article 12 Steps to Dealing With Bad Neighbors.

Talk with the Responsible Party

Your first step should always be direct contact with those you believe to be causing light trespass – the responsible party. Usually the responsible party is obvious: a neighbor, a small business owner, a truck stop, etc. If the light is coming from larger businesses, a government agency, etc. then it’s usually best to first go right to the top – the business owner-manager or agency director. Frequently, its the folks at the top who are most sensitive to the negative publicity that comes with causing harms to the public. These are the folks who also have the greatest authority to resolve the issue. Getting to these CEOs can be difficult, but is worth a try since, at least, you’ll usually end up speaking with someone higher up in the organization.

Be Reasonable & Positive

When approaching the responsible party present your concerns along the following positive, nonthreatening lines…

“Hi. I’ve been having trouble sleeping because of lights shining into my home. I believe the light is coming from your property (business). If this is correct then I’d like to see if there’s a way the lights can be adjusted so it doesn’t disturb my family and me.”

Don’t Insist on Just One Solution

There are usually several ways to resolve light trespass. Occasionally folks get wedded to the first solution they think of and resist any other approach. Don’t make this mistake. Instead remain open to all solutions as you work with the responsible party to find that which works best for everyone.

Will a Solution Stop Light Trespass?

If a light trespass solution is proposed then do some research to verify effectiveness. One of the best ways to verify effectiveness is to talk to those living near locations where: 1) residents were plagued by a similar nuisance lighting and 2) the solution was applied. Those proposing a solution should be able to provide a list of these locations. Visiting these locations several times at night will give you an indication of how well light trespass has been suppressed. Just to be sure though, try talking to those living nearby to verify lighting is not an issue. After explaining that you are suffering from the same nuisance most residents will freely share their perception of how well the solution has worked.

File A Complaint

If the reasonable first approach doesn’t work, then placing a call to the local police can be your first action, especially for very disturbing lights, especially from an individual. For ongoing noise issues and those from businesses, your local zoning or code-enforcement agency may be in a better position to get it stopped. You can usually find these agencies through an online search using keywords like:

• the name of your town, city or county, and
• zoning enforcement, or
• code enforcement, or
• noise complaint.

An informal CEDS survey showed that filing a complaint was the most effective action and resolved 61% of noise and other nuisances.

Seek Help from Local Elected Officials

Your local elected officials, like a county, city or town council member, can get things done far more easily then most of us. Savvy elected officials know that responding to voter concerns is key to winning future elections. They have influence with agencies like zoning-code enforcement that can accelerate resolution. So, if you are dissatisfied with the action taken on your complaint then contact the local elected official(s) who represent you. You can usually find your local elected representative through an online search using keywords like:

• the name of your town, city or county, and
• town council or board, or
• city council, or
• county council, supervisors or commissioners,

There’s Strength in Numbers

Generally, the more people who support your position, the more likely a successful outcome. If your initial efforts to work with the responsible party and your local elected officials fail, then explore opportunities to increase the number of people who join with you in calling for action. For example, do the lights disturb others in your neighborhood? If yes then consider options that show it’s not just you who want the noise stopped such as:

• Sending a letter signed by you and others to the responsible party or elected official. In the letter describe the lights, how they impact all of you, and call for action,
• Invite an elected official to view the light and attend a meeting with a number of your neighbors, and/or
• See if you can get a local newspaper, radio-TV station or other media to cover the issue.

Additional recommendations will be found in the CEDS Mobilizing Public Support for Preserving Neighborhoods webpage at: https://ceds.org/mobilize/.

Hire An Attorney

If the preceding steps do not resolve light trespass, then consider retaining an attorney. Frequently, a letter from an attorney to the responsible party will be enough to get action. The letter may cost only a few hundred dollars in legal fees. If the letter does not work then, unfortunately, you may be looking at far more costly legal action. If you cannot afford this then try reaching our to legal aid services in your area or law school clinics. Either may be open to representing you free of charge.