{
  "title": "Dark Sky Laws by Jurisdiction",
  "description": "Outdoor lighting law by US state and Canadian province.",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://darkskiesdirectory.com/laws",
  "breadcrumbs": [
    {
      "name": "Home",
      "url": "/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Laws",
      "url": "/laws"
    }
  ],
  "updated": null,
  "data": {
    "laws": [
      {
        "code": "AB",
        "name": "Alberta",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Community Standards Bylaw (outdoor light trespass provision)\",\"citation\":\"Bylaw 32M2023, City of Calgary\",\"year\":2023,\"url\":\"https://www.calgary.ca/bylaws/outdoor-lights.html\"}]",
        "summary": "Alberta has no province-wide dark-sky or outdoor-lighting statute. Calgary's Community Standards Bylaw bans outdoor lights that shine directly into a neighboring home's living or sleeping areas, and the town of Bon Accord became Canada's first DarkSky International-certified Dark Sky Community in 2015 by retrofitting its street and yard lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Calgary\",\"summary\":\"Community Standards Bylaw 32M2023 prohibits outdoor lighting that shines directly into an adjacent residence's living or sleeping areas and recommends shielded, downward-facing fixtures.\",\"url\":\"https://www.calgary.ca/bylaws/outdoor-lights.html\"},{\"place\":\"Bon Accord\",\"summary\":\"Certified in 2015 as Canada's first International Dark Sky Community, with town-wide shielded, warm-colored street and yard lighting.\",\"url\":\"https://darksky.org/locations/canada/\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.calgary.ca/bylaws/outdoor-lights.html\",\"https://calgary.rasc.ca/lp/bylawproject.html\",\"https://darksky.org/locations/canada/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "AK",
        "name": "Alaska",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Alaska has no statewide outdoor lighting or light pollution statute. No notable municipal dark-sky ordinances were found.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "AL",
        "name": "Alabama",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Alabama has no statewide outdoor lighting or light pollution statute. No notable municipal dark-sky ordinances were found.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "AR",
        "name": "Arkansas",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Shielded Outdoor Lighting Act\",\"citation\":\"Ark. Code Ann. §§ 8-14-101 to 8-14-107\",\"year\":2005,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-8/chapter-14/section-8-14-107/\"}]",
        "summary": "Arkansas requires shielding of certain outdoor light fixtures statewide, with penalties and enforcement provisions, but the chapter explicitly yields to any local ordinance that is equal to or stricter than the state standard. It sets a statewide floor rather than displacing local dark-sky ordinances.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-8/chapter-14/section-8-14-107/\",\"http://darkskyarkansas.org/responsible-lighting/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "AZ",
        "name": "Arizona",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Light Pollution (outdoor lighting fixture shielding)\",\"citation\":\"A.R.S. Title 49, Chapter 7, §§ 49-1101 to 49-1104\",\"year\":1986,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/arizona/2022/title-49/section-49-1101/\"}]",
        "summary": "Arizona's law, the oldest statewide outdoor lighting law in the country, requires most new outdoor light fixtures to be fully or partially shielded so light is directed downward, bans new mercury vapor lamps, and exempts emergency, temporary construction, and similar lighting. It applies statewide to reduce glare and skyglow near the state's observatories.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Flagstaff, AZ\",\"summary\":\"The world's first International Dark Sky Place (2001), with a city lighting code (Flagstaff City Code Ch. 10-20) tracing back to a 1958 ordinance restricting searchlights near Lowell Observatory.\",\"url\":\"https://flagstaff.az.gov/4042/Dark-Sky\"},{\"place\":\"Tucson / Pima County, AZ\",\"summary\":\"A joint city-county Outdoor Lighting Code (adopted 1994ish, revised 2012 and 2024) limits fixture shielding, lumens, and color temperature to protect observatories on Kitt Peak and Mount Lemmon.\",\"url\":\"https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/city-services/planning-development-services/documents/2012_outdoor_lighting_code_.pdf\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/arizona/2022/title-49/section-49-1101/\",\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://flagstaff.az.gov/4042/Dark-Sky\",\"https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/city-services/planning-development-services/documents/2012_outdoor_lighting_code_.pdf\",\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tucson/latest/tucson_az/0-0-0-4204\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "BC",
        "name": "British Columbia",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "British Columbia has no provincial dark-sky or outdoor-lighting law, and no confirmed municipal bylaw either. A Vancouver councillor's push for dark-sky lighting rules did not result in a bylaw, and the volunteer-led Dark Sky Naramata group in the Okanagan promotes shielded, warm-toned lighting without a formal regulation behind it.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Vancouver\",\"summary\":\"City councillor Elizabeth Ball called for dark-sky lighting rules to curb light pollution; no citywide bylaw resulted.\",\"url\":\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/elizabeth-ball-seeks-dark-sky-legislation-for-vancouver-light-pollution-1.2943019\"},{\"place\":\"Naramata\",\"summary\":\"Dark Sky Naramata is a community-led initiative encouraging shielded, warm-toned outdoor lighting in this unincorporated Okanagan village; it operates as voluntary advocacy rather than a passed regional bylaw.\",\"url\":\"https://www.darkskynaramata.com/about\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/elizabeth-ball-seeks-dark-sky-legislation-for-vancouver-light-pollution-1.2943019\",\"https://www.darkskynaramata.com/about\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "CA",
        "name": "California",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "California has no general statewide light pollution or dark-sky statute; outdoor lighting is regulated through Title 24 energy-efficiency building code provisions and, more specifically, through county and city ordinances. Protection of Palomar and Lick observatories comes from San Diego County and Santa Clara/San Benito County lighting ordinances rather than state law.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"San Diego County, CA\",\"summary\":\"A light pollution code (County Code, private outdoor lighting regulations) limits shielding, lumens, and curfews near Palomar Observatory.\",\"url\":\"https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/docs/pds211.pdf\"},{\"place\":\"Malibu, CA\",\"summary\":\"Local dark-sky protection lighting standards restrict fixture type and glare citywide.\",\"url\":\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/states/california\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/states/california\",\"https://astro.caltech.edu/palomar/community/lightpollution.html\",\"https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/docs/pds211.pdf\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "CO",
        "name": "Colorado",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor lighting fixtures funded by the state, standards\",\"citation\":\"C.R.S. § 24-82-902\",\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2025/title-24/state-property/article-82/part-9/section-24-82-902/\"},{\"title\":\"Colorado dark sky designation technical assistance grant program\",\"citation\":\"C.R.S. § 24-49.7-110\",\"year\":2022,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2023/title-24/other-agencies/article-49-7/section-24-49-7-110/\"}]",
        "summary": "Colorado law requires state-funded outdoor lighting projects to consider energy conservation, glare, and light pollution, and a 2022 program (HB22-1382) funds grants to help communities pursue International Dark Sky designation. There is no general statewide restriction on private or municipal lighting; that is left to local ordinances.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, CO\",\"summary\":\"Colorado's first International Dark Sky Community (2015), with a joint outdoor lighting ordinance.\",\"url\":\"https://darkskycolorado.org/darsky-colorado/\"},{\"place\":\"Ridgway, CO\",\"summary\":\"Adopted a dark-sky-friendly outdoor lighting ordinance ahead of its Dark Sky Community designation.\",\"url\":\"https://www.telluridenews.com/news/article_b648bb9c-dbf5-11e9-9fd8-43e42a5dec3b.html\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2025/title-24/state-property/article-82/part-9/section-24-82-902/\",\"https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2023/title-24/other-agencies/article-49-7/section-24-49-7-110/\",\"https://darkskycolorado.org/darsky-colorado/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "CT",
        "name": "Connecticut",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor luminaires on the grounds of state buildings or facilities\",\"citation\":\"Conn. Gen. Stat. § 4b-16\",\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/title-4b/chapter-59/section-4b-16/\"},{\"title\":\"Lighting standards for public buildings\",\"citation\":\"Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16a-39\",\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/title-16a/chapter-298/section-16a-39/\"}]",
        "summary": "Connecticut requires new or replacement outdoor lighting on state building grounds, and lighting for state-funded public buildings, to meet efficiency and shielding standards intended to cut light pollution, and directs the DOT to design highway and roadway lighting to minimize skyglow. These rules apply to state facilities and highways, not private property statewide.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/title-4b/chapter-59/section-4b-16/\",\"https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/title-16a/chapter-298/section-16a-39/\",\"https://www.cga.ct.gov/2017/rpt/pdf/2017-R-0258.pdf\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "DC",
        "name": "District of Columbia",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "The District has no general light pollution or dark-sky statute. DC Code § 8-1776.02 only directs a study of smart, adaptive street lighting technology; it does not itself restrict outdoor lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/district-of-columbia/title-8/chapter-17p/section-8-1776-02/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "DE",
        "name": "Delaware",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Regulation of Outdoor Lighting\",\"citation\":\"Del. Code Ann. tit. 7, ch. 71A, § 7101A et seq. (75 Del. Laws, c. 202)\",\"year\":2025,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/delaware/title-7/chapter-71a/section-7101a/\"}]",
        "summary": "Delaware enacted a new outdoor lighting chapter in 2025 defining light pollution and cutoff luminaires and covering street lights, signs, searchlights, and area lighting, while exempting required vehicle and aircraft safety lighting. It is the state's first general statutory framework for controlling outdoor lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/delaware/title-7/chapter-71a/section-7101a/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "FL",
        "name": "Florida",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Marine Turtle Protection Act, coastal lighting\",\"citation\":\"Fla. Stat. § 379.2431\",\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/florida/2020/title-xxviii/chapter-379/part-ii/section-379-2431/\"},{\"title\":\"Model Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection\",\"citation\":\"Fla. Admin. Code r. 62B-55\",\"url\":\"https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/62B-55_ModelLightingOrdinance_NPR_0.pdf\"}]",
        "summary": "Florida's Marine Turtle Protection Act directs the Department of Environmental Protection and FWC to identify sea turtle nesting beaches and maintain a statewide model lighting ordinance that restricts beachfront lighting visible from the beach during nesting and hatchling season. The restrictions take legal effect where more than 50 coastal counties and cities, including Volusia, Sarasota, Palm Beach, and Collier, have adopted the model ordinance locally.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Volusia County, FL\",\"summary\":\"Adopted a sea turtle protection lighting ordinance restricting visible beachfront lighting during nesting season.\",\"url\":\"https://www.volusia.org/core/fileparse.php/6748/urlt/Turtle-Lighting-508.pdf\"},{\"place\":\"Sarasota, FL\",\"summary\":\"City ordinance (2004-118) regulates beachfront lighting to protect nesting sea turtles.\",\"url\":\"https://sarasota.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/OrdNo2004-118_signedUpdated.pdf\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/florida/2020/title-xxviii/chapter-379/part-ii/section-379-2431/\",\"https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/62B-55_ModelLightingOrdinance_NPR_0.pdf\",\"https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/lighting/ordinances/\",\"https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/protection/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "GA",
        "name": "Georgia",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Georgia has no statewide light pollution or sea-turtle lighting statute; its lighting code provisions cover vehicle equipment, not outdoor fixtures. Sea turtle beachfront lighting is instead addressed through DNR guidance and individual coastal city and county ordinances.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Tybee Island, GA\",\"summary\":\"Coastal city with sea turtle nesting protections that limit beachfront lighting during nesting season.\",\"url\":\"https://www.wsav.com/news/local-news/sea-turtle-nesting-season-could-surge-on-tybee-how-you-can-help/\"},{\"place\":\"Jekyll Island, GA\",\"summary\":\"The Jekyll Island Authority enforces a lighting ordinance to protect nesting sea turtles, and has debated strengthening it.\",\"url\":\"https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/controversy-clouds-jekyll-lighting-ordinance-changes/article_6f8343f8-5ef0-5339-8555-3d042664a5cf.html\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://gadnr.org/sea-turtles\",\"https://thecurrentga.org/2026/03/02/glynn-countys-new-zoning-draft-fails-to-update-light-protections-for-sea-turtles/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "HI",
        "name": "Hawaii",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Night sky protection strategy\",\"citation\":\"Haw. Rev. Stat. § 201-8.5\",\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/hawaii/2018/title-13/chapter-201/section-201-8.5/\"}]",
        "summary": "Hawaii requires state agencies to use fully shielded outdoor light fixtures with a color temperature of 4,000 Kelvin or less on new lamps over 3,000 lumens, and banned new mercury vapor lamps, effective July 1, 2014. The requirement applies only to state agencies and only in counties with more than 100,000 residents, so it mainly covers Honolulu, Hawaii, and Maui counties, protecting observatories on Mauna Kea and Haleakala.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/hawaii/2018/title-13/chapter-201/section-201-8.5/\",\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution_in_Hawaii\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "IA",
        "name": "Iowa",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Iowa has no statewide light pollution statute; the state's related statutes address removal of lights that interfere with highway signals, not general outdoor lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "ID",
        "name": "Idaho",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Idaho has no statewide outdoor lighting or light pollution statute. No notable municipal dark-sky ordinances were confirmed.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "IL",
        "name": "Illinois",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Bird-Safe Buildings Act, state building lighting\",\"citation\":\"20 ILCS 405/405-317\",\"year\":2021,\"url\":\"https://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=002004050K405-317\"}]",
        "summary": "Illinois requires new or substantially renovated state buildings to reduce nighttime exterior and interior-visible lighting, mainly to cut bird collisions rather than to control general light pollution. There is no statewide restriction on private or municipal outdoor lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://news.wttw.com/2021/08/03/new-bird-friendly-law-illinois-calls-less-transparency-government-buildings\",\"https://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=002004050K405-317\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "IN",
        "name": "Indiana",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Indiana has no statewide light pollution statute; its outdoor-lighting-related statutes cover glare minimization for solar and wind installations and airport lighting restrictions, not general dark-sky protection.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "KS",
        "name": "Kansas",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Kansas has no statewide light pollution statute; its lighting-related statutes cover highway advertising signs and aviation obstruction lighting for wind turbines.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "KY",
        "name": "Kentucky",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Kentucky has no statewide light pollution statute; its lighting-related statutes cover highway advertising devices and flashing lights near highways, not general outdoor lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "LA",
        "name": "Louisiana",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Louisiana has no statewide outdoor lighting or light pollution statute. No notable municipal dark-sky ordinances were confirmed.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MA",
        "name": "Massachusetts",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Massachusetts has no enacted statewide light pollution statute as of September 2026. A Dark Skies bill (An Act to Improve Outdoor Lighting, Conserve Energy, and Increase Dark-Sky Visibility, S.3145/H.3164), which would cap color temperature and require shielding on publicly funded lighting, passed the Senate in mid-2026 and was still advancing through the House as of August 2026.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H3164.Html\",\"https://malegislature.gov/PressRoom/Detail?pressReleaseId=1429\",\"https://recorder.com/2026/08/11/massachusetts-dark-skies-bill-advances/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MB",
        "name": "Manitoba",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "provincial-policy",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Manitoba Parks Dark-Sky Preserve program\",\"citation\":\"Manitoba Sustainable Development / Manitoba Parks\",\"year\":2022,\"url\":\"https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/recreation-and-activities/nightskies/index.html\"}]",
        "summary": "Manitoba Parks, a branch of the provincial government, runs a dark-sky preserve program under which Spruce Woods Provincial Park became the province's first RASC-designated Dark-Sky Preserve on September 4, 2022. Inside the preserve, outdoor lighting must be fully shielded and low-intensity, and most park lights are sensor-controlled and switched off overnight.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/recreation-and-activities/nightskies/index.html\",\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/dark-sky-preserve-spruce-woods-provincial-park-manitoba-1.6567790\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MD",
        "name": "Maryland",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Energy efficient outdoor lighting fixtures in State buildings\",\"citation\":\"Md. Code Ann., State Fin. & Proc. § 14-412\",\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2013/article-gsf/section-14-412/\"}]",
        "summary": "Maryland requires new or replacement outdoor lighting funded with state money on state building grounds to minimize light pollution, glare, and light trespass, using minimum needed illumination, and requires fixtures over 1,800 lumens to be restricted-uplight luminaires. Correctional and federally mandated lighting are exempt, and the rule does not extend to private or local government lighting.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2013/article-gsf/section-14-412/\",\"https://safeskiesmaryland.org/legislation/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "ME",
        "name": "Maine",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"An Act to Promote Responsible Outdoor Lighting\",\"citation\":\"LD 1934 / H.P. 1295\",\"year\":2026,\"url\":\"https://www.accessfixtures.com/maine-responsible-outdoor-lighting-act/\"},{\"title\":\"Outdoor lighting (state buildings)\",\"citation\":\"Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 5, § 1769\",\"url\":\"https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/5/title5sec1769.html\"},{\"title\":\"Certain lights prohibited along highways\",\"citation\":\"Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17, § 2793\",\"url\":\"https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/17/title17sec2793.html\"}]",
        "summary": "Maine's 2026 law, effective October 1, 2026, caps new or replaced public outdoor lighting at 3000 Kelvin, requires full shielding above 1,000 lumens, limits brightness to 125 percent of national lighting standards, and requires nonessential lighting to switch off between 10pm and sunrise. It applies to public entities now, and requires municipalities to extend similar rules to private property by December 31, 2028.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.accessfixtures.com/maine-responsible-outdoor-lighting-act/\",\"https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/5/title5sec1769.html\",\"https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/17/title17sec2793.html\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MI",
        "name": "Michigan",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Dark Sky Preserve\",\"citation\":\"Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 324.75101 to 324.75106 (Part 751, NREPA)\",\"year\":2015,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/michigan/2023/chapter-324/statute-act-451-of-1994/article-iii/division-451-1994-iii-4/division-451-1994-iii-4-2/division-451-1994-iii-4-2-parks/division-451-1994-iii-4-2-parks-751/section-324-75106/\"}]",
        "summary": "Michigan law lets the DNR designate state parks and recreation areas as dark sky preserves and impose outdoor lighting restrictions inside them to protect stargazing; a 2016 amendment added three more preserves. The statute is limited to DNR-managed land and, notably, bars new dark sky preserve designations in the Upper Peninsula, a restriction advocates have pushed to repeal.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-451-1994-III-4-2-PARKS-751.pdf\",\"https://www.wgvunews.org/news/2016-02-18/new-michigan-law-designates-3-more-dark-sky-preserves\",\"https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2025/02/26/advocates-call-end-dark-sky-preserve-prohibition-up/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MN",
        "name": "Minnesota",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor lighting fixtures model ordinance\",\"citation\":\"Minn. Stat. § 16B.328\",\"url\":\"https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/16B.328\"}]",
        "summary": "Minnesota requires new or replacement state-funded outdoor lighting, including on state highways, to use cutoff luminaires above 1,800 lumens and only the minimum illumination needed, weighing energy savings and light pollution, with waivers if it raises costs too much. It applies to state agencies and local governments using state funds, not to private lighting generally.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/16B.328\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MO",
        "name": "Missouri",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Missouri has no statewide light pollution statute; its lighting-related statute only restricts lighting on signs permitted along certain highways.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MS",
        "name": "Mississippi",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Mississippi has no statewide outdoor lighting or light pollution statute. No notable municipal dark-sky ordinances were confirmed.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/statutory\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "MT",
        "name": "Montana",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Montana has no statewide outdoor lighting, light pollution, or dark-sky statute. Several cities regulate fixture shielding and glare through their own zoning codes instead.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Missoula\",\"summary\":\"City lighting ordinance (No. 3341) sets shielding and glare standards for new outdoor fixtures.\",\"url\":\"https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentCenter/View/587/Lighting-Ordinance-Number-3341\"},{\"place\":\"Whitefish\",\"summary\":\"Municipal code section 11-3-25 sets outdoor lighting standards for new development.\",\"url\":\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/whitefishmt/latest/whitefish_mt/0-0-0-5322\"},{\"place\":\"Great Falls\",\"summary\":\"Code chapter 40 regulates outdoor lighting, including special standards for special applications.\",\"url\":\"https://library.municode.com/mt/great_falls/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT17LADECO_CH40OULI_17.40.060SPSTSPAP\"},{\"place\":\"Livingston\",\"summary\":\"Code chapter 18, locally titled the \\\"Night Sky Protection Act,\\\" regulates outdoor lighting fixtures citywide.\",\"url\":\"https://library.municode.com/mt/livingston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH18NISKPRAC\"},{\"place\":\"Kalispell\",\"summary\":\"Municipal code sets outdoor lighting standards for commercial and residential fixtures.\",\"url\":\"https://ecode360.com/42633667\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentCenter/View/587/Lighting-Ordinance-Number-3341\",\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/whitefishmt/latest/whitefish_mt/0-0-0-5322\",\"https://library.municode.com/mt/great_falls/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT17LADECO_CH40OULI_17.40.060SPSTSPAP\",\"https://library.municode.com/mt/livingston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH18NISKPRAC\",\"https://ecode360.com/42633667\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NB",
        "name": "New Brunswick",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "New Brunswick has no dedicated provincial outdoor-lighting statute. Its dark-sky protection instead comes through park management at federally run Fundy and Kouchibouguac national parks and the provincially run Mount Carleton Provincial Park, all designated RASC Dark-Sky Preserves, plus Saint John's Irving Nature Park, a RASC Urban Star Park.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://rasc.ca/lpa/dark-sky-sites\",\"https://rascnb.ca/dark-skies/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NC",
        "name": "North Carolina",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "North Carolina has no statewide outdoor lighting, dark-sky, or sea-turtle lighting statute. A statewide \"Sea Turtle Protection Act\" (e.g., H455/H1053) has been filed in the legislature in multiple sessions but not passed; lighting protection for nesting turtles is currently handled town by town.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Raleigh\",\"summary\":\"City lighting ordinance sets shielding and glare limits for new outdoor fixtures.\",\"url\":\"https://cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/drupal-prod/COR10/ACRaleighLightingOrdinanceGuide.pdf\"},{\"place\":\"Wrightsville Beach\",\"summary\":\"Town committee was drafting turtle-friendly beachfront lighting rules as of 2026 after state biologist warnings, not yet finalized.\",\"url\":\"https://citizenportal.ai/articles/8446199/North-Carolina/New-Hanover-County/Wrightsville-Beach/State-biologist-warns-artificial-beachfront-lights-misorient-sea-turtles-Wrightsville-Beach-committee-moves-to-draft-lighting-rules\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H455v0.pdf\",\"https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/HTML/H1053v1.HTML\",\"https://cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/drupal-prod/COR10/ACRaleighLightingOrdinanceGuide.pdf\",\"https://citizenportal.ai/articles/8446199/North-Carolina/New-Hanover-County/Wrightsville-Beach/State-biologist-warns-artificial-beachfront-lights-misorient-sea-turtles-Wrightsville-Beach-committee-moves-to-draft-lighting-rules\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "ND",
        "name": "North Dakota",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "North Dakota has no statewide dark-sky or outdoor lighting statute. A non-binding 2025 Senate resolution (SCR 4004) promoting a dark-sky initiative to protect migrating birds was introduced but failed in the state Senate.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://northdakotamonitor.com/briefs/north-dakota-lawmakers-propose-dark-sky-initiative-protecting-migrating-birds/\",\"https://northdakotamonitor.com/briefs/dark-sky-week-deemed-dangerous-fails-in-north-dakota-senate/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NE",
        "name": "Nebraska",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Nebraska has no statewide dark-sky or outdoor lighting statute. The National Conference of State Legislatures' roundup of state light-pollution laws does not list Nebraska among states with such a law.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NH",
        "name": "New Hampshire",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor Lighting Efficiency / New Hampshire Dark Sky Policy\",\"citation\":\"N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. Title 9-E, Section 9-E:3\",\"year\":2009,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/new-hampshire/2022/title-i/title-9-e/section-9-e-3/\"}]",
        "summary": "New Hampshire's RSA 9-E:3 states it is state policy to encourage (not require) municipalities to adopt outdoor lighting ordinances that cut energy use, reduce glare, and preserve dark skies. Related chapter provisions restrict state funds to shielded fixtures above 1,800 lumens, but towns are not mandated to act.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/new-hampshire/2022/title-i/title-9-e/section-9-e-3/\",\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NJ",
        "name": "New Jersey",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "New Jersey has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute. A legislative Light Pollution Study Commission examined the issue, and Assembly bill A3080 (a light-pollution measure) has been introduced but not enacted; the state has instead published a model lighting ordinance for towns to adopt voluntarily.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Bloomfield Township\",\"summary\":\"Municipal code chapter 345, \\\"Light Pollution,\\\" regulates glare and light trespass from outdoor fixtures.\",\"url\":\"https://ecode360.com/11765749\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.starastronomy.org/light-pollution/new-jersey-light-pollution-study-commission-report\",\"https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2022/A3500/3080_I1.HTM\",\"https://anjec.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/New-Jersey-Model-Lighting-Ordinance-Template-for-Municipalities.pdf\",\"https://ecode360.com/11765749\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NL",
        "name": "Newfoundland and Labrador",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Newfoundland and Labrador has no provincial or municipal dark-sky or outdoor-lighting law. Its only formal dark-sky protection is at the federally managed Terra Nova National Park, designated a RASC Dark-Sky Preserve in 2018.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-canada/news/2018/03/terra-nova-national-park-officially-designated-as-a-dark-sky-preserve.html\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NM",
        "name": "New Mexico",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Night Sky Protection Act\",\"citation\":\"NMSA 1978, Sections 74-12-1 through 74-12-10\",\"year\":1999,\"url\":\"http://darkskynm.org/nspa.pdf\"}]",
        "summary": "New Mexico's Night Sky Protection Act requires new outdoor lighting fixtures statewide to be shielded so light is directed downward, limits illumination of outdoor recreational facilities (sports fields, courts) to before 11 p.m. except to finish a game in progress, and authorizes fines of up to $25 per violation. It applies to most outdoor lighting installed after the act took effect, with exemptions for things like traffic signals, airports, and emergencies.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"http://darkskynm.org/nspa.pdf\",\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://www.delapp.com/codes/nm_night_sky_protection_act_nmsa74-12-1.php\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NS",
        "name": "Nova Scotia",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Nova Scotia has no provincial or municipal dark-sky lighting law. The RASC Halifax Centre runs a public responsible-lighting awareness campaign, Kejimkujik National Park has been a federally managed RASC Dark-Sky Preserve since 2010, and in 2025 a Nova Scotia university sports field became the first DarkSky Approved Outdoor Sports Lighting project outside the United States.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://halifax.rasc.ca/index.php/responsible-lighting\",\"https://darksky.org/news/university-track-and-soccer-field-in-nova-scotia-becomes-first-darksky-approved-outdoor-sports-lighting-project-outside-the-united-states/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NT",
        "name": "Northwest Territories",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "The Northwest Territories has no territorial or municipal outdoor-lighting law. Its dark-sky protection comes solely from Wood Buffalo National Park, a federally managed RASC Dark-Sky Preserve since 2013 that straddles the NWT-Alberta border and is administered in part from Fort Smith, NWT.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://rasc.ca/lpa/dark-sky-sites\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NU",
        "name": "Nunavut",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Nunavut has no dark-sky or outdoor-lighting legislation and no RASC- or DarkSky International-designated dark-sky site; none has been publicly proposed to date.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NV",
        "name": "Nevada",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Dark Sky designation program\",\"citation\":\"NRS 407A.570(3)(m), created by 2021 SB 52\",\"year\":2021,\"url\":\"https://archive.leg.state.nv.us/Session/81st2021/Bills/SB/SB52_EN.pdf\"}]",
        "summary": "Nevada's 2021 SB 52 directs the Division of Outdoor Recreation to create a voluntary designation program recognizing communities, parks, reserves, and byways with relatively dark night skies. It does not set fixture-shielding or lighting-curfew requirements; it only creates an application and recognition process.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://archive.leg.state.nv.us/Session/81st2021/Bills/SB/SB52_EN.pdf\",\"https://www.carsonnow.org/05/23/2021/nevadas-dark-sky-designation-aims-protect-and-enhance-states-iconic-nighttime-skies\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "NY",
        "name": "New York",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor lighting fixtures on state-funded buildings\",\"citation\":\"N.Y. Public Buildings Law Section 143\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"}]",
        "summary": "New York law restricts state funds to fully-shielded outdoor lighting fixtures on new or renovated state buildings, with limited exceptions such as low-wattage ornamental roadway lighting; it does not regulate private or municipal lighting statewide. Broader 2025 bills (A4615/S5007) to curb light pollution more widely were introduced but have not been enacted.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A4615\",\"https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5007\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "OH",
        "name": "Ohio",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Ohio has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute; lighting standards are set locally, with some townships and villages restricting glare and requiring shielded fixtures.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Moreland Hills\",\"summary\":\"Municipal code section 1171.09 sets outdoor lighting regulations for new development.\",\"url\":\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/morelandhills/latest/morelandhills_oh/0-0-0-15694\"},{\"place\":\"Gambier\",\"summary\":\"Village code section 155.204 addresses light pollution and exterior lighting standards.\",\"url\":\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/gambieroh/latest/gambier_oh/0-0-0-11739\"},{\"place\":\"Green\",\"summary\":\"City code section 157.140 regulates outdoor lighting fixtures.\",\"url\":\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/green/latest/green_oh/0-0-0-24495\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/morelandhills/latest/morelandhills_oh/0-0-0-15694\",\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/gambieroh/latest/gambier_oh/0-0-0-11739\",\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/green/latest/green_oh/0-0-0-24495\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "OK",
        "name": "Oklahoma",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Oklahoma has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute. Its outdoor-lighting-adjacent statutes (Title 47, Sections 12-217 and 12-227) govern vehicle auxiliary and fog lamps, not fixed outdoor lighting or light pollution.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/title-47/section-47-12-217/\",\"https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/title-47/section-47-12-227/\",\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "ON",
        "name": "Ontario",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor Lighting By-law\",\"citation\":\"Town of Huntsville\",\"year\":2016,\"url\":\"https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/outdoor-lighting-bylaw/\"},{\"title\":\"Dark Sky By-law\",\"citation\":\"By-law 2023-009 (amended by 2025-029), Township of Muskoka Lakes\",\"year\":2023,\"url\":\"https://muskokalakes.civicweb.net/document/78279/\"},{\"title\":\"Nuisance Lighting By-law\",\"citation\":\"By-law 262-12, City of Mississauga\",\"year\":2012,\"url\":\"https://www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/nuisancelighting2013.pdf\"}]",
        "summary": "Ontario has no province-wide dark-sky statute, but a growing number of municipalities, especially in cottage country, have passed their own outdoor-lighting bylaws requiring shielded, downward-directed fixtures, including Huntsville (2016), Seguin Township, Muskoka Lakes (2023), and Mississauga's nuisance-lighting rule (2012). The province is also home to more RASC-designated Dark-Sky Preserves than any other, including Torrance Barrens, Killarney, and Lake Superior provincial parks.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Huntsville\",\"summary\":\"Requires full cut-off, downward-shielded outdoor fixtures on new construction since January 2016, gave property owners until January 2026 to upgrade existing lighting, and restricts dock lights to warm amber or yellow tones.\",\"url\":\"https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/outdoor-lighting-bylaw/\"},{\"place\":\"Muskoka Lakes\",\"summary\":\"By-law 2023-009 regulates exterior lighting intensity, shielding, and hours of use township-wide to protect dark skies.\",\"url\":\"https://muskokalakes.civicweb.net/document/78279/\"},{\"place\":\"Seguin Township\",\"summary\":\"Adopted a bylaw restricting unshielded and excessive outdoor lighting to protect its \\\"dark sky environment.\\\"\",\"url\":\"https://www.myparrysoundnow.com/76948/news/municipal-news/seguin-township/seguin-adopts-bylaw-to-protect-dark-sky-environment/\"},{\"place\":\"Mississauga\",\"summary\":\"Nuisance Lighting By-law 262-12 (2012) bans glare-producing fixtures such as floodlights, spotlights, and flashing lights that trespass onto neighboring properties.\",\"url\":\"https://www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/nuisancelighting2013.pdf\"},{\"place\":\"North Frontenac\",\"summary\":\"Township-wide RASC dark-sky preserve designation (2013) protects the North Frontenac Astronomy Park near Plevna from light pollution.\",\"url\":\"https://www.northfrontenac.com/things-to-do/north-frontenac-astronomy-park/\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/outdoor-lighting-bylaw/\",\"https://muskokalakes.civicweb.net/document/78279/\",\"https://www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/nuisancelighting2013.pdf\",\"https://www.myparrysoundnow.com/76948/news/municipal-news/seguin-township/seguin-adopts-bylaw-to-protect-dark-sky-environment/\",\"https://www.northfrontenac.com/things-to-do/north-frontenac-astronomy-park/\",\"https://rasc.ca/lpa/dark-sky-sites\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "OR",
        "name": "Oregon",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Public building lighting fixture shielding\",\"citation\":\"Or. Rev. Stat. Section 455.573\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"}]",
        "summary": "Oregon requires outdoor lighting fixtures on public buildings to be shielded when newly installed or replaced, applying to state and local government buildings; municipalities may waive the requirement for historic structures. It does not regulate private or commercial lighting statewide.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "PA",
        "name": "Pennsylvania",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Pennsylvania has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute. A 2023 bill (HB 1803) addressing outdoor lighting was introduced but not enacted; the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council advocates for local ordinances instead.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Pittsburgh\",\"summary\":\"City adopted dark-sky-friendly lighting principles for municipal streetlights.\",\"url\":\"https://ecode360.com/45445769\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/text/PDF/2023/0/HB1803/PN3015\",\"https://ecode360.com/45445769\",\"https://polcouncil.org/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "PE",
        "name": "Prince Edward Island",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Prince Edward Island has no provincial or municipal dark-sky lighting law and no RASC- or DarkSky-designated site. A proposal to create a dark-sky preserve on the Island's South Shore has been discussed publicly but not yet realized.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.countylive.ca/imagining-a-dark-sky-preserve-at-countys-south-shore/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "QC",
        "name": "Quebec",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Règlement de contrôle de l'éclairage extérieur\",\"citation\":\"Règlement n° 2020-11, MRC du Granit\",\"year\":2020,\"url\":\"https://www.cieletoilemontmegantic.org/en/reglementations\"},{\"title\":\"Règlement de contrôle de l'éclairage extérieur\",\"citation\":\"Règlement n° 469-18 (amended by n° 522-21), MRC du Haut-Saint-François\",\"year\":2018,\"url\":\"https://www.cieletoilemontmegantic.org/en/reglementations\"},{\"title\":\"Règlement sur l'éclairage extérieur\",\"citation\":\"Règlement n° 1200, chapitre 14, section 4, Ville de Sherbrooke\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://www.cieletoilemontmegantic.org/en/reglementations\"}]",
        "summary": "Quebec has no single provincial outdoor-lighting law, but the Mont-Megantic region runs Canada's most detailed lighting regulations. Three regional county municipalities, Sherbrooke, Haut-Saint-Francois, and Granit, jointly limit outdoor light color temperature to 2200K or less, cap upward light spill at 1 to 2.5 percent, and impose evening curfews (10pm or 11pm) on non-essential outdoor lighting to protect the Mont-Megantic International Dark Sky Reserve, established in 2007.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Sherbrooke, Haut-Saint-François, and Granit (Mont-Mégantic reserve zone)\",\"summary\":\"Jointly enforce lighting rules limiting color temperature, capping upward light spill, and imposing curfews on non-essential outdoor lighting after 10pm or 11pm.\",\"url\":\"https://www.cieletoilemontmegantic.org/en/reglementations\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.cieletoilemontmegantic.org/en/reglementations\",\"https://www.omm-astro.ca/en/the-observatory/international-dark-sky-reserve/\",\"https://darksky.org/places/mont-megantic-dark-sky-reserve/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "RI",
        "name": "Rhode Island",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"State outdoor lighting energy and glare standards\",\"citation\":\"R.I. Gen. Laws Sections 42-136-1 et seq.\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"}]",
        "summary": "Rhode Island requires state-funded outdoor lighting fixtures to conserve energy and, for fixtures over 3,200 lumens, limit upward light to no more than 2% of total output in the 90-to-180-degree zone above horizontal. It applies to state facilities, not private or municipal lighting generally.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "SC",
        "name": "South Carolina",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "South Carolina has no enacted statewide sea-turtle lighting or general outdoor lighting statute. A statewide \"Sea Turtle Protection Act\" (most recently S.133, 2023-2024) has been introduced repeatedly since at least 2009 but has died in committee each time; turtle-friendly lighting rules exist only at the municipal level on barrier islands.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Sullivan's Island\",\"summary\":\"Town code section 132.23, \\\"Beach Lighting,\\\" restricts visible beachfront light during sea-turtle nesting season.\",\"url\":\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/sullivansislandsc/latest/sullivansisland_sc/0-0-0-3027\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/133.htm\",\"https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/bills/184.htm\",\"https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/979.htm\",\"https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/sullivansislandsc/latest/sullivansisland_sc/0-0-0-3027\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "SD",
        "name": "South Dakota",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "South Dakota has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute. It is not listed among states with light-pollution legislation by the National Conference of State Legislatures.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "SK",
        "name": "Saskatchewan",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Saskatchewan has no provincial or municipal outdoor-lighting law. Its dark-sky protection comes from federal and conservation lands, including Grasslands National Park (RASC Dark-Sky Preserve, 2009), the shared Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park (2004), and the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, a Nature Conservancy of Canada property designated a RASC Nocturnal Preserve in 2015.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://rasc.ca/lpa/dark-sky-sites\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "TN",
        "name": "Tennessee",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Tennessee has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute; Title 55, Chapter 9, Part 4 of the Tennessee Code covers vehicle lighting, not fixed outdoor lighting. Nashville's government has discussed dark-sky-friendly lighting benefits and legislation was proposed locally, but no citywide or statewide law has been confirmed enacted.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-55/chapter-9/part-4/\",\"https://www.wkrn.com/news/new-legislation-seeks-to-reduce-light-pollution-in-nashville/\",\"https://www.nashville.gov/departments/general-services/news/five-ways-dark-sky-benefits-nashville\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "TX",
        "name": "Texas",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Regulation of Certain Outdoor Lighting (state-funded facilities)\",\"citation\":\"Tex. Health & Safety Code Chapter 425\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.425.HTM\"},{\"title\":\"County outdoor lighting regulation near military bases/observatories\",\"citation\":\"Tex. Local Government Code Section 240.031\",\"year\":2021,\"url\":\"https://darkskytexas.org/texas-outdoor-lighting-codes-regulations/\"}]",
        "summary": "Texas requires new or replacement lighting fixtures on state-funded facilities to be cutoff-shielded in most cases (Health & Safety Code Ch. 425), and Local Government Code 240.031 lets certain counties regulate outdoor lighting near military bases and observatories, though a 2021 law narrowed which cities can otherwise regulate lighting to Dark Sky Communities and areas near observatories or bases. There is no statewide sea-turtle-specific lighting statute; turtle-season lighting limits are set by coastal cities.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"South Padre Island\",\"summary\":\"Beachfront construction rules tied to the city's dune-protection permitting restrict visible artificial lighting facing the beach during sea-turtle nesting season.\",\"url\":\"https://www.myspi.org/department/division.php?structureid=141\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.425.HTM\",\"https://darkskytexas.org/texas-outdoor-lighting-codes-regulations/\",\"https://scenictexas.org/dark-sky-protection/\",\"https://www.myspi.org/department/division.php?structureid=141\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "UT",
        "name": "Utah",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Utah has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute; the legislature has passed only non-binding resolutions (e.g., SCR001 in 2003, SCR002 in 2018) encouraging dark-sky awareness. Binding rules exist only at the local level.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Emigration Canyon Metro Township\",\"summary\":\"Township has a dedicated Dark Sky Ordinance restricting fixture type, shielding, and brightness.\",\"url\":\"https://www.utah.gov/pmn/files/847297.pdf\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://le.utah.gov/~2003/bills/sbillint/SCR001.pdf\",\"https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/sbillenr/SCR002.htm\",\"https://www.utah.gov/pmn/files/847297.pdf\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "VA",
        "name": "Virginia",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"State agency outdoor lighting procurement\",\"citation\":\"Va. Code Section 2.2-1111\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"},{\"title\":\"Regulation of outdoor lighting near certain facilities\",\"citation\":\"Va. Code Section 15.2-920\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter9/section15.2-920/\"}]",
        "summary": "Virginia requires state agencies to procure shielded outdoor light fixtures for new facilities (with safety/operational waivers available) and separately authorizes, but does not require, local governments to regulate outdoor lighting near certain sensitive facilities. Private and most municipal lighting is not regulated statewide.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\",\"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter9/section15.2-920/\",\"https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/recreational-planning/document/vop-app-10-dark-skies.pdf\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "VT",
        "name": "Vermont",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Outdoor lighting\",\"citation\":\"10 V.S.A. Section 591\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://law.justia.com/codes/vermont/2009/title-10/chapter-24/591/\"}]",
        "summary": "Vermont's outdoor lighting statute set up an advisory board to develop voluntary, performance-based guidelines for municipalities, regional planning commissions, and commercial property owners covering sky glow, glare, and light trespass, rather than imposing mandatory fixture rules directly. Adoption is left to individual towns.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://law.justia.com/codes/vermont/2009/title-10/chapter-24/591/\",\"https://darkskyvt.org/resources/municipal-policy-guidance/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "WA",
        "name": "Washington",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Wind turbine aircraft detection lighting systems\",\"citation\":\"2023 HB 1173\",\"year\":2023,\"url\":\"http://aprilconnors.houserepublicans.wa.gov/2023/05/09/rep-april-connors-anti-light-pollution-measure-signed-into-law/\"}]",
        "summary": "Washington's 2023 HB 1173 requires new and existing wind energy facilities to use aircraft-detection lighting systems so obstruction lights only activate when aircraft are nearby, instead of staying lit continuously; existing facilities must comply by January 1, 2026. It targets turbine light pollution specifically and does not set general outdoor-lighting or dark-sky rules for other development.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"http://aprilconnors.houserepublicans.wa.gov/2023/05/09/rep-april-connors-anti-light-pollution-measure-signed-into-law/\",\"https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1173.htm\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "WI",
        "name": "Wisconsin",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Wisconsin has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute; its lighting-related statutes (e.g., Wis. Stat. 347.24(1)(am) and 347.26(11)) govern vehicle lighting, not fixed outdoor fixtures. Some municipalities regulate lighting on their own.",
        "municipal_json": "[{\"place\":\"Madison\",\"summary\":\"City council adjusted outdoor lighting rules to align with the city's International Dark Sky Community status.\",\"url\":\"https://captimes.com/news/government/madison-city-council-adjusts-outdoor-light-rules-to-apply-as-dark-sky-community/article_489270ec-a9b8-5038-b250-a0587e6f887b.html\"},{\"place\":\"Town of Amnicon\",\"summary\":\"Town ordinance restricts outdoor lighting to preserve dark skies.\",\"url\":\"https://townofamnicon.wi.gov/town-business/ordinances/dark-skies/\"}]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/347/ii/26/11\",\"https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/347/ii/24/1/am\",\"https://captimes.com/news/government/madison-city-council-adjusts-outdoor-light-rules-to-apply-as-dark-sky-community/article_489270ec-a9b8-5038-b250-a0587e6f887b.html\",\"https://townofamnicon.wi.gov/town-business/ordinances/dark-skies/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "WV",
        "name": "West Virginia",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "West Virginia has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky statute. A bill (HB 2995, 1999) addressing outdoor lighting was introduced but was not confirmed to have passed into law.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2995+INTR.htm&yr=1999&sesstype=RS&i=2995\",\"https://wvexplorer.com/2026/03/28/light-pollution-in-west-virginia/\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "WY",
        "name": "Wyoming",
        "country": "US",
        "status": "limited",
        "laws_json": "[{\"title\":\"Utility outdoor lighting tariff option\",\"citation\":\"Wyo. Stat. Section 37-16-202\",\"year\":null,\"url\":\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"}]",
        "summary": "Wyoming requires electric utilities to offer customers a tariff option for outdoor light fixtures designed to minimize unintended illumination (light trespass and glare), but it does not mandate shielding or set a statewide lighting code; use of the option is up to the customer.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      },
      {
        "code": "YT",
        "name": "Yukon",
        "country": "CA",
        "status": "no-statewide-law",
        "laws_json": "[]",
        "summary": "Yukon has no territorial or municipal dark-sky lighting law and no officially designated RASC or DarkSky International site. Stargazers have proposed dark-sky designations for Kluane National Park and other Yukon parks, and the territory hosts an annual Northern Nights Festival celebrating its dark, aurora-friendly skies.",
        "municipal_json": "[]",
        "sources_json": "[\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-dark-sky-kluane-chadburn-rasc-1.4295427\",\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-dark-skies-1.6587628\"]",
        "checked": "2026-09-23"
      }
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