Planning Board Begins to Review State Law About Outdoor Lights in Public Places.
Feb 20, 2026
SOUTHWEST HARBOR—Multiple island towns are delving into how and if—and what— they might need to do to meet the state’s recent rules about how many dwellings are allowed on residential lots.
The state’s LD 2003 changes residential zoning and is meant to inspire more homes built for a state with an older housing stock and not a great deal of building.
The state law is meant to address that need by lifting restrictions on accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.
These homes are usually smaller than the main dwelling on a residential lot. They are often rental properties and are much more common in other states.
According to the state,
“LD 2003 focuses on removing regulatory barriers to increase housing production in Maine, while preserving municipal ability to create land use plans and protect environmental resources. This legislation requires municipalities to create or amend local ordinances to allow for:
- “Additional density for affordable developments in certain areas;
- “Multiple dwelling units on lots designated for residential use; and
- “One accessory dwelling unit located on the same lot as a single-family dwelling unit in any area where residential uses are permitted.”
The Southwest Harbor Planning Board this week delved into state legislation that allows multiple residential units on one lot.
The board members didn’t think it will have a big impact on the town especially since there are other town rules that govern residential builds.
The law states that a municipality such as Southwest Harbor must allow at lease three dwellings per lot in areas that are not designated growth areas. In areas that are designated by a town’s comprehensive plan as a growth area, the town or city must allow four dwelling units.
The units can be attached or detached. So, the ADU could be a garage already attached to a home and converted to an ADU. It could be an in-law suite. Depending on town rules about minimum square footage—or in Bar Harbor’s case, area per family—it could be an additional tiny home on a lot, or a duplex.
In 2023, Bar Harbor’s planning staff presented options for that town multiple times and presented those to the public. The town is now working at other land use changes and restrictions on residential lots to see if those can be changed to help encourage new homes as well.
“it’s not going to change hardly anything. It’s only going to be people that specifically want to cross that threshold from three to four, yet still meet all the dimensional requirements of a structure in the town,” one board member said.
There is a difference of how much can be built depending on if the lot is in a growth area designated by the town’s comprehensive plan. For Southwest Harbor, those are zones A and then BG.
The 2023 law governs how many dwellings can be on a lot. LD 2003 is officially called “An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions” and it was sponsored by Speaker Ryan Fecteau. It passed in April 2022.
AN ACT TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE OUTDOOR LIGHTING
The Southwest Harbor Planning Board also discussed LD 1934, which is “An Act to Promote Responsible Outdoor Lighting.”
“I think it primarily affects public areas,” Vice Chair Lee Worcester said.
Those changes to light levels not being above 3,000 kelvins, begin September 30, 2026.
“What we have we can live with until it needs to get replaced,” board member Priscilla Ksionzyk said.
Mount Desert has already updated its ordinance, which Code Enforcement Officer Jarrod Kushla will include in the packet of materials for the next board meeting.
The bill’s summary states, “This bill requires that outdoor lighting installed or replaced after October 1, 2026 4 comply with certain standards, including standards established by the American National 5 Standards Institute and the Illuminating Engineering Society, intended to reduce the 6 amount of unnecessary light emitted. The bill includes exemptions for certain types of 7 lighting such as outdoor sports lighting, temporary lighting and required and emergency 8 lighting. The bill directs certain departments to adopt rules to implement the requirements 9 of this bill. The bill also directs each municipality in the State to adopt a local ordinance 10 to promote compliance with the provisions of this bill and allows a municipality to adopt 11 ordinances that are more strict than those required by this bill.”
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
New State Rules Mean Big Changes to Bar Harbor’s Land Use
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September 8, 2023
QUICK EVENT UPDATE
Soundmarks Captures the Noises of Nature
Today: February 20, 2026
BAR HARBOR — The Island Soundscape Project presents Soundmarks, an immersive sound installation based on recordings gathered at Maine Coast Heritage Trust preserves, at College of the Atlantic on Friday, Feb. 20, with a panel presentation 4:30 p.m. at the Davis Center for Human Ecology, Rm. 202, followed by a reception at the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History at 6 p.m.
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