Garland's Outdoor Lighting: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles outdoor lighting a little differently. In Garland, Texas, there are 3 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Light Trespass & Shielding

Garland caps outdoor lighting at 0.5 footcandle above ambient light measured at the property line and bars any light beam from crossing onto neighboring property above a height of three feet.

Key details: Maximum property-line intensity: 0.5 footcandle above ambient. Beam-control height threshold: 3 feet. Applies to: All development types citywide. Lighting Plan trigger: Nonresidential/multifamily near residential zones.

The Planning Director reviews and can require additional photometric testing or a certified testing-laboratory report under Section 4.88(C) if a submitted Lighting Plan does not show compliance with the 0.5-footcandle property-line cap. A use whose lighting exceeds that cap or projects a beam above three feet across a boundary is operating in violation of Section 4.90 and is treated the same as any other Chapter 4 development-standard violation subject to code enforcement action and required remediation of the fixture.

Billboard Lighting

Garland requires every digital billboard to carry both a dimmer control and a photocell that automatically adjusts brightness to ambient light, and bars any increase in light level at a residential lot beyond ambient conditions.

Key details: Required equipment: Dimmer control plus automatic photocell. Residential measurement point: 5 ft inside lot, 5 ft above ground. Pre-permit requirement: Ambient light survey and manufacturer certification. Minimum message display time: 8 seconds. Malfunction response: 1 hour to respond, 12 hours to fix.

The Building Official reviews the required ambient light survey and manufacturer certification before issuing a digital billboard permit under Section 4.73(G)(3); a display exceeding the residential light-level cap or lacking password-protected brightness controls is grounds for permit denial. An operator who fails to freeze or repair a malfunctioning display within the one-hour response and twelve-hour repair window under Section 4.73(I) is out of compliance and subject to enforcement as an unsafe or noncompliant sign under Section 4.72.

Compared to other cities, Garland takes a harder line on billboard lighting. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Dark Sky Rules

Garland requires outdoor light fixtures to be down-light, indirect, diffused, or shielded with at least a 70-degree cutoff from horizontal, and restricts fixture height and low-wattage accent lighting to curb glare and skyglow.

Key details: Minimum cutoff angle: 70 degrees from horizontal. Fixture height limit: No higher than building's roofline. Accent lighting cap: 15 watts per bulb, non-nonresidential districts. Recreational lighting trigger: 0.5 footcandle above ambient at residential line.

A Lighting Plan submitted under Section 4.88 that shows fixtures without the required seventy-degree cutoff, or with non-compliant height or accent-lighting wattage, does not satisfy Article 7 and the Planning Director can require revisions, additional photometric data, or a certified testing-laboratory report before approving development. Recreational lighting installed without the required living screen where the 0.5-footcandle residential threshold is exceeded is a violation of Section 4.92(B) subject to code enforcement.

The Bottom Line

Garland's outdoor lighting rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Garland is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Garland's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.