Outdoor Lighting in Arvada, CO (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Arvada, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Arvada requires every new or altered exterior light fixture to be a full cutoff, downward-directed fixture with a flat lens under Land Development Code Section 4-8-2-2(A), and bans searchlights, aerial lasers, and flashing lights outright. Section 4-8-2-6 imposes a lighting curfew: most exterior lighting must dim or shut off by at least 70 percent one hour after a business closes until an hour before it reopens.
Arvada Full Cutoff Fixture and Lighting Curfew
Some RestrictionsArvada Land Development Code § 4-8-2-2(A), (J); § 4-8-2-6(B)
A.Shielding of Lights. Luminaires shall be shielded and directed to avoid glare and overspill onto adjacent property.1.All exterior light fixtures shall be full cutoff fixtures that are directed downward (90 degrees from true vertical) and shall have flat lenses, emitting no more than ten percent of the total lumens between 80 and 90 degrees from true vertical. Fixtures shall be configured so t...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Arvada caps how much light can spill onto a neighbor's property, limiting illumination at the lot line to 0.3 foot candles next to single-family and duplex homes, 0.8 next to multifamily property, 1.0 next to mixed-use and non-residential lots, and 1.5 in industrial districts under Land Development Code Table 4-8-2-2A. Decorative lighting within 50 feet of a home must also be shielded and pointed away from it.
Arvada Light Trespass Limits at Property Line
Some RestrictionsArvada Land Development Code § 4-8-2-2(B), Table 4-8-2-2A
B.Maximum Spill Light Illumination Levels. Except for public street lighting, all exterior lighting and indoor lighting visible from outside shall be designed to minimize adverse impacts on adjacent properties by minimizing glare and limiting light at the property line...shall not exceed the standards in Table 4-8-2-2A, Maximum Illumination Levels. Single-family dwelling and duplex residential ...
Looking for Jefferson County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Arvada city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Jefferson County →