Light and glare complaints
Resolve issues with disruptive light from advertising signs or private properties. Make a complaint about ongoing issues.
About light nuisance and glare
Excessive light from private properties and advertising signs can cause light nuisance.
Sources of light nuisance include:
- events
- illuminated signs and buildings
- some outdoor lighting, such as security lights and floodlights.
Glare occurs when there’s excessive brightness or intensity of light.
Managing light from your property
To reduce lighting nuisance on your neighbours, you can:
- install timer or sensor lights
- turn lights off when not in use
- avoid over-lighting
- use warm white, lower lumen, light-emitting diode (LED) light globes
- position lights away from reflective surfaces, neighbours and sensitive areas (e.g. bedroom windows and living areas)
- use specifically designed lighting equipment that minimises the spread of light
- keep the main beam angle of all lights directed towards any sensitive place below 70 degrees
- direct light downwards, not upwards. If there’s no alternative to up-lighting, use shields to help minimise spill light.
If you’re being impacted by light or glare from a neighbouring property, talk to your neighbour or body corporate about the issue.
Neighbours may be unaware that their lights are disturbing you. Alerting them about the issue could lead to an immediate resolution.
If the issue isn’t resolved, you can make a complaint to Council.
Regulating nuisance light and glare
The Environmental Protection Act 1994, Advertising Devices Local Law 2021 and Planning Act 2016 regulate light nuisance.
Light issues and complaints are handled by various authorities.
What Council investigates
We investigate complaints about light nuisance from:
- advertising signs
- events
- Council facilities
- commercial and private properties.
We consider the:
- conditions of any approvals related to the lighting, such as planning approval
- amount of light being emitted
- duration
- sensitivity of the receiving environment
- potential impact the light is having on neighbours.
Council can issue an Environmental Enforcement Order for light nuisances.
What Council doesn’t investigate
We don’t investigate glare issues relating to:
- streetlights
- parks and bikeway lighting
- lights on freeways.
Streetlights are compulsory public lighting. They are positioned at specific locations to provide lighting that complies with the Australian Standards. Council can assess spill light from streetlights.
Light nuisance from freeways is the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR).
If you’re experiencing freeway light issues, you can make a complaint to TMR.
Light spill from streetlights
Streetlights are installed to provide safe passage to pedestrians and drivers.
To achieve this, streetlights are positioned at specific locations to provide lighting compliant to the Australian Standards. These locations include:
-
on the sides of roads
-
centre medians
-
pedestrian crossings
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intersections, roundabouts, bends, and ramps
-
local area traffic management devices (i.e. traffic islands).
To provide lighting compliant with the Australian Standards for roads, there may be instances where light spills from the streetlight and falls into a private property's bedroom windows. This is known as “spill” and upon request, Council offers to assess spill light complaints.
Spill light from public lighting including bikeways, parks and public carparks are assessed similarly to streetlights.
Read more about how spill light is assessed in our Streetlights factsheet.
Electronic billboards
Illuminated or electronic advertising devices can distract road users. They can also be a nuisance to nearby properties.
Advertising devices with illumination or electronic display components (EDC) must comply with the Advertising Devices Technical Standards.
Some high-impact EDC signs, including electronic and LED billboards, are prohibited in certain locations.
View the prohibited locations and learn more about electronic advertising.
Electronic advertising issues
If electronic advertising is causing a disturbance, contact the business that operates the sign. They can usually make adjustments to fix the issue.
You’ll find the business name on the sign. When you contact the business, let them know:
- which sign or content is causing the issue
- the time the issue usually occurs.
If the business doesn’t resolve the issue, you can make a complaint.
Make a light nuisance or glare complaint
You can make a complaint about an ongoing light or glare nuisance to Council.
When submitting your complaint, you must provide:
- your name, address and phone number (this information is kept confidential)
- a description of the nuisance (date, time and source address).
To make a complaint, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.
Learn more about Council's complaints process.
Frequently asked questions
Council assesses spill light but not glare from streetlights and public lighting.
Spill light is the amount of light falling onto a bedroom window from a streetlight or public lighting. Glare is caused by looking at a streetlight or public lighting from a bedroom window.
If bright lights from your neighbour’s property are impacting you, have a chat to them about it. They may not be aware their lights are causing a disturbance.
If your neighbour doesn’t take any steps to fix the issue, you can make a complaint to Council.
Yes, you can make a complaint if reflective glare from a rooftop is causing a disturbance. Before you make a complaint about a glare nuisance, talk to the property owner about it.
They may be unaware of the issue and may take steps to address it. If the issue isn’t resolved, you can make a complaint to Council.
Yes, you can make a complaint about a digital or electronic billboard to Council.
Make a complaint if the billboard is:
- excessively bright
- located in a prohibited area
- positioned in an awkward or dangerous location.
Learn how to make a light and glare complaint.