SUMMARY OF BRANDON TOWNSHIP

ORDINANCE #198-24 AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 46, CODE OF ORDINANCES ARTICLE

IX, § 46-421

On October 7, 2024, the Township Board of the Charter Township of Brandon adopted Ordinance
No 198-24 as an amendment and restatement of Chapter 46 of the Code of Ordinances Article IX, section
46-421, Glare and Exterior Lighting.
The following is a summary, as prepared by Stuart B. Cooney, township attorney, of Ordinance
No. 198-24.
A true copy of the ordinance is on file and available for viewing by the public at the Brandon
Township Clerk’s office, 395 Mill Street, Ortonville, Michigan, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
In the Ordinance the Township ordains as follows:
Ordinance 198-24 is designated as the “zoning amending ordinance for glare and exterior
lighting” and restates section 46-421 of Article IX “Environmental Performance “of the township’s Code
of Ordinances. There are three primary sections.
a) Intent. The express intent of the Ordinance is to minimize “offsite impacts” attributable to
exterior lighting. The standard, as stated, is to promote a “dark skies” concept and protect the
“rural Character” of the township.
b) Industrial And Commercial Uses. Industrial and commercial uses are subject to regulations
designed to prevent glare, heat and light from extending beyond the property lines. Operations
that produce intense glare or heat must be conducted in an enclosure. Exterior doors must be
located and operated in a manner that prohibits lighting interfering with vehicles, pedestrians and
neighboring uses. On-site lighting, including signage, must be shown on site plans, and
accompanied with photometric studies Only nonglare, color-corrected lighting is permitted, and
full cutoff shades are required. Additional restrictions apply to lighting and shading on uses
adjacent to residential uses, with specific illumination levels. Specific height restrictions apply to
parking lot fixtures and certain roof mounted lighting is prohibited. Signs may be illuminated
only in accordance with regulations contained throughout the chapter.
c) Residential lighting standards. This new section contains multiple limitations pertaining to
lighting locations, levels, color, direction, on-off angle, shading, wiring on residential properties.
Specifics limitations apply to free standing lights. All restrictions are established pursuant to the
recited intent to reduce or eliminate nuisance or hazard beyond property lines.
Ordinance 198-24 applies only to section 46-421 and all other provisions of Article IX remain in full
force and effect. Section 46-421 as amended and restated will be in effect upon Publication of this
summary, and persons interested in the subject matter of the ordinance should review the text in its
entirety before taking any action.
Adopted: 10/7/2024
Published: 10/26/2024
Effective: 10/26/2024
Complete text of this ordinance is available at the Clerk’s office located at 395 Mill Street, Ortonville,
MI. For further information call 248-627-2851. Posted by Roselyn Blair, Brandon Township Clerk