Outdoor Lighting in Gainesville, FL (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Gainesville, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Gainesville's Land Development Code requires outdoor lighting on horizontal surfaces to use fully shielded, full-cutoff fixtures aimed downward, and bars fixtures from projecting light skyward, onto roadways, or onto adjacent uses, under Section 30-6.12.D.1. Search lights, flood lights, lasers and flashing or rotating lights are banned outright with no exceptions or variances allowed.
Gainesville Outdoor Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsGainesville Land Development Code § 30-6.12(D)(1)
1.Luminaire design and operation. ... b.Lighting of horizontal surfaces shall be fully shielded full-cutoff fixtures and shall be aimed downwards. c.Lighting of non-horizontal surfaces shall be designed, installed and aimed so as not to project light output beyond the object being illuminated, skyward, onto a public roadway, or onto adjacent uses. ... e.The maximum mounting height of area light...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Gainesville caps light trespass by the receiving property's use: 0.5 footcandles for residential sites, 1.0 footcandle for nonresidential or multifamily sites, and 0.4 footcandles for nature parks, all measured line-of-sight at the property line under Section 30-6.12.D.2 of the Land Development Code.
Gainesville Light Trespass Footcandle Limits
Some RestrictionsGainesville Land Development Code § 30-6.12(D)(2)
2.Light trespass standards.a.Unless otherwise provided in this section, lighting shall have illuminances, uniformities and glare control in accordance with the published standards of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).b.Light trespass measured line-of-site at the property line of the receiving property shall not exceed the following levels:i.1.0 footcandles for non-re...
Looking for Alachua County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Gainesville city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Alachua County →