Lighting ordinances for Birmingham Township, Pennsylvania. One zoning ordinance, one subdivision and land development ordinance.

This website provides a sampling of local dark sky ordinances and other resources related to dark skies.

A lighting ordinance can ensure safe, aesthetically pleasing, and energy-efficient outdoor lighting that preserves views of the night sky and minimizes harm to species disturbed by artificial lighting. (Print version of CT guide)

Summary of the American Medical Association report that identifies the dangers of artificial light to humans.

Lighting ordinances for London Grove Township, Pennsylvania.

The MLO must be adapted to the laws and practices of each state and locale. It is generally best adopted as an overlay zoning ordinance. This means that it overlays, but is different from, land-use zoning. It can be added to or integrated into existing ordinances or codes and cross-referenced to other applicable codes and ordinances such as the electrical code, the sign code, planning ordinances, etc.

These model ordinances provide examples for municipal governments to use as tools to incorporate sustainable land-use practices into their regulations.

Lighting ordinances for North Coventry Township.

POLC maintains a set of model lighting ordinances on its website that have evolved over time to incorporate the most recent and most effective ordinance language. The site also contains enacted lighting ordinances from across the Commonwealth as well as helpful information on initiating an ordinance and links to other relevant resources.

Lighting ordinance for Penn Township.

The Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council has published three lighting ordinance models: a zoning ordinance, a subdivision and land development ordinance, and a stand-alone lighting ordinance is another option.

Lighting ordinances for Schuylkill Township.

Lighting ordinance for Wallace Township.

Lighting ordinance for Warwick Township.

Lighting ordinance for Westtown Township, Pennsylvania.

Lighting ordinance for West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania.

This atlas shows that more than 80% of the world and more than 99% of the U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies. The Milky Way is hidden from more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans. Moreover, 23% of the world’s land surfaces between 75°N and 60°S, 88% of Europe, and almost half of the United States experience light-polluted nights.