Light nuisance

In suburban and residential areas, artificial light can come from a range of sources including  security lights, spotlights and floodlights. Lights that are not positioned appropriately can cause an unreasonable nuisance to neighbours and interfere with their normal daily activities. If severe enough, it can affect their health.

Council responsibilities

Council has the authority to regulate environmental nuisance under the Act.

If we are satisfied that a light is causing an unreasonable nuisance and is not considered fit for purpose and does not comply with the Australian Standard, we may issue an Environmental Enforcement Order for alteration to an existing light.

We must consider the general emission criteria before issuing an Environmental Enforcement Order.

Your responsibilities

• Ensure any exterior lights meet Australian Standard (AS4282-2023).
• Be mindful that any beam of lights are angled to within the property boundary.

General emission criteria

What we consider:

• What type of light?
• How much?
• How long?
• What time did it occur?
• Is it continuous or fluctuating?
• Where is it going?
• Is this expected?
• What impact is it having?
• Who is being impacted?
• Is this a regular occurrence or one off?
• Is it getting worse?
• Are there any mitigations in place?

Reporting an environmental nuisance

If you are affected by unreasonable light nuisance, you encourage you to discuss it with the neighbour responsible before contacting Council. They may not be aware of the impact and a friendly face-to-face chat may quickly resolve the issue. If you can’t reach a mutually-suitable outcome, you can make a report to Council.

If you log a Customer Request with Council for investigation and we make a nuisance determination, we will advise you of the outcome.

Note: An environmental nuisance determination must be made from the receptor’s point of view. We therefore cannot investigate anonymous complaints. While identifying details are protected, in light nuisance cases, the affected person is by nature identifiable.

You can lodge a request for investigation into a light nuisance by:

• Calling 1300 69 22 47
• Submitting a Report a Problem online form
• Using the Report a Problem feature on the My Cairns app.