The City of Windsor is looking to implement a Nuisance Lighting By-Law.
The Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee met Wednesday with one report looking for approval on a new by-law to regulate nuisance indoor and outdoor illumination - similar to other municipalities such as Tecumseh and Lakeshore. The report was approved by the committee.
The report states that due to recent lighting technology improvements with the use of LED's, that lighting is much brighter and more obtrusive to neighbouring properties.
While the number of lighting related complaints isn't necessarily high, with only 15 complaints in 2023, 18 complaints in 2024, and so far no complaints for this year, the city currently has no regulations surrounding addressing lighting complaints.
This new by-law aims to set standards for appropriate light fixtures that control the intensity, the direction, and the duration of lighting.
The concern is that excessive lighting use during evening hours can disrupt sleep patterns, can have environmental impacts including energy waste and skyglow, and can disturbing the natural habitat of wildlife.
Fabio Costante, ward 2 councillor and chair of the committee, says the by-law would be city wide.
"The amount of complaints are very little when it comes to the nuisance of lighting, and according to administration it's often neighbour to neighbour complaints, but we don't have a by-law in place right now in the city to enforce."
He says lights that are in place for safety purposes wouldn't be included.
"General lighting, lighting that we see on our main streets, and our businesses, and things of that nature, or lighting in our alleys, or lighting for the purposes of safety and security, or to illuminate a district, that's not going to be part of, or captured in this by-law. This by-law is going to be situations where it rises to the level of nuisance."
Costante says some councillors have heard concerns from residents regarding parking lot lights, and alley lights.
"And so where that lighting could perhaps be redirected because obviously there's good reason why parking lots should be lit, but if it's encroaching on someone's bedroom window, and as a result it's affecting their ability to sleep and things of that nature, we don't currently have a mechanism or policy in place to address that."
Based off administrations report, there wouldn't be any impact to the budget as no additional by-law officers would be needed to address these complaints.
The report states that only full cut-off lighting fixtures will be permitted, which is a type of outdoor light that has no direct up-light, and typically shields the light source to minimize glare.
The report will now go to city council for final approval.