January 14, 2026
Maine Lighting Law Among Most Comprehensive in U.S.
Regulation includes shielding, lumen thresholds and design exemptions
On January 11, without so much as a pen stroke, Maine Governor Janet Mills allowed one of the most sweeping outdoor lighting regulations in the country to become law. Among dozens of bills that slipped into law through executive inaction, LD 1934 — officially “An Act to Promote Responsible Outdoor Lighting” — now enters the books as Public Law Chapter 516. It takes effect on September 30, 2026.
At its core, LD 1934 establishes a dense framework of lighting requirements for all public outdoor lighting installed or replaced after October 1, 2026. It incorporates ANSI/IES standards — including RP-8 (roadways), RP-43 (pedestrian areas), and others — and enforces hard caps on light levels, color temperature, and uplight.
Public luminaires over 1,000 lumens must be fully shielded, emitting no more than 5% of their output above 80 degrees from nadir. Color temperature is capped at 3,000K for most applications. And for dark-sky advocates, the bill’s 0.1 lux limit on light trespass into wilderness areas remains intact.
The law also imposes a statewide shutoff requirement for nonessential public lighting during designated nighttime hours. Key details include:
What must be shut off:
Lighting that does not enhance the physical safety of vehicles or pedestrians, including:
- Landscape lighting
- Facade illumination
- lluminated signage or advertising
- Lighting on vacant sports fields
- Decorative and seasonal lighting (e.g., string lights, inflatables)
When it must be shut off:
- Between 10:00 p.m. and sunrise, or 7:00 a.m., whichever comes first
- For facilities with later operating hours, shutoff begins 1 hour after closing
This requirement, unchanged from the original bill, adds another layer of compliance for specifiers and municipal facility managers.
Softened, But Still Sharp
That said, the final version of the law isn’t quite as rigid as the original bill introduced last May. Over the legislative summer and fall, lawmakers chiseled out several high-impact exemptions and alterations. Here are six that stand out:
- Interstate 95 Projects Get a Pass: Lighting installed by or for the Department of Transportation or Maine Turnpike Authority is exempt from the stricter caps — including the 3,000K CCT limit. Roadway and pedestrian lighting under their jurisdiction may exceed these bounds, following their own standards.
- Local Ordinance Mandate Scrapped: Originally, municipalities were required to adopt their own ordinances by 2028. The final law merely authorizes — not mandates — local action. That change means lighting professionals may now face a checkerboard of municipal rules, with compliance varying by ZIP code.
- More Wiggle Room for Construction Lighting: Temporary lighting for roadwork or emergency repairs can exceed standard limits “to the minimum extent necessary.” That’s a win for contractors needing flexibility during night construction windows.
- CCT Flexibility for Key Applications: Pedestrian lighting, DOT roads, and Turnpike areas may now exceed the 3,000K limit, offering specifiers more off-the-shelf options and cost-effective LEDs in projects where precision may yield to practicality.
- Historic Fixtures Protected: Lighting designed to replicate historic styles is exempt if protected under historic preservation laws. Expect antique-style post-tops in Portland to persist in heritage districts and other downtown corridors throughout the state.
- Ski Resorts? Not Covered. Lighting at ski facilities is entirely exempt. Sugarloaf and Sunday River can keep their bright, high-CCT night skiing operations humming without interference from the new standards.
What Happens Next?
The law goes into effect in September 2026, but its ripple effects will be felt long before that. State agencies can begin crafting rules now. And even though municipalities aren’t required to adopt ordinances, the Maine Office of Community Affairs is expected to provide a model ordinance — if it can marshal the resources to do so.
For manufacturers, designers, and specifiers operating in Maine’s public sector, this law reshapes the playbook. Public projects — from crosswalk retrofits to park pathways — will now come with tighter specifications and new compliance checks.
And while Maine may not often lead national headlines, it has quietly become the state with perhaps the strictest lighting statute on the books.
