Outdoor Lighting

This article explores the legal aspects of regulating light pollution. It outlines the development of electric light and its uses; addresses the harmful impacts of light on our natural environment; discusses the history of early and more recent common law claims of excessive lighting, argued as either trespass or nuisance claims; surveys developments in state statutory legislation and local ordinances that have begun to alleviate the problem of excessive light. The article concludes with a call for federal legislation to study more adequately the effects of light pollution and provide for a uniform system of regulating outdoor lighting.