Outdoor Lighting in Greensboro, NC (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Greensboro, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Greensboro's Land Development Ordinance requires cut-off fixtures on any outdoor light producing more than 4,050 lumens, caps light poles at 35 feet, and bans flashing, revolving or high-intensity beams like spotlights, lasers and strobes anywhere visible from a property line or street.
Greensboro Outdoor Lighting Shielding and Cutoff Rules
Some RestrictionsGreensboro Land Development Ordinance § 30-9-6.5
A. All outdoor light fixtures that produce more than 4,050 lumens must be cut-off fixtures and have flat lenses and/or shielding. A cut-off light fixture emits 0% of its light above 90 degrees and no more than 10% above 80 degrees from horizontal. The Planning Director is authorized to grant a Type 1 Modification to this standard. ... B. Pole heights may not exceed 35 feet in height above grade...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Greensboro's Land Development Ordinance caps outdoor light spilling onto a neighbor's yard at one footcandle measured at any abutting residentially used property line or adjacent street, and every site plan must certify compliance with that light-trespass limit before it's approved.
Greensboro Light Trespass Limit for Outdoor Lighting
Some RestrictionsGreensboro Land Development Ordinance § 30-9-6.6
All outdoor lighting must be located, angled, shielded or limited in intensity so as to cast no direct light or glare exceeding one footcandle at any abutting residentially used property line or on adjacent streets.
Billboard Lighting
Digital and electronic billboards in Greensboro cannot shine more than 1 foot-candle above ambient light, measured from the nearest property line or street right-of-way, under the Land Development Ordinance. Any billboard not facing an interstate highway must also use shielded, cut-off fixtures so light does not spill onto neighboring property.
Greensboro Billboard Brightness Limits
Some RestrictionsGreensboro Land Development Ordinance § 30-14-9.8(A)-(B)
The maximum brightness of digital or electronic displays may not exceed 1 foot-candle above ambient lighting conditions when measured from the nearest property line or street right of way. When sign is not located along an interstate highway, shielded cut-off fixtures to prevent light spillover must be used... No more than 33% of the electronic display may use white colors.
Looking for Guilford County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Greensboro city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Guilford County →