Outdoor Lighting in Huntsville, AL (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Huntsville, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Huntsville's zoning ordinance regulates glare and light spillover from parking and vehicular use areas rather than adopting a general residential dark-sky code. Section 71.6.2 requires every exterior PVA fixture to be shielded, aimed, and capped so light at an adjoining roadway or residential property line does not exceed one footcandle.
Huntsville Caps Parking Lot Glare at 1 Footcandle
Some RestrictionsHuntsville Zoning Ordinance §§ 71.6, 71.6.2-71.6.5 (Code Appendix A)
71.6. - PVA lighting requirements. A detailed lighting plan for all PVAs having 15 or more parking spaces or containing at least 5,000 square feet of PVA must be submitted with the construction and landscape plans. ... 71.6.2. All exterior lighting fixtures shall be: (1)Protected by a weather and vandal resistant covering;(2)Located and fitted with appropriate cutoffs, if necessary, to prevent ...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Huntsville caps exterior lighting on commercial and multi-family parking lots at one footcandle where it hits an adjoining roadway or residential property line, and requires shielded, cutoff fixtures under the city's Zoning Ordinance.
Huntsville Parking Lot Light Trespass Cap
Some RestrictionsHuntsville Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances Appendix A) § 71.6.2
71.6.2. All exterior lighting fixtures shall be: (1)Protected by a weather and vandal resistant covering;(2)Located and fitted with appropriate cutoffs, if necessary, to prevent the light level on any adjoining roadway or residential property line from exceeding one footcandle;(3)Aimed so that they do not exceed an angle of 45 degrees out from the base of the pole when using floodlights;(4)I...
Billboard Lighting
Huntsville has no billboard-specific lighting statute, but every illuminated sign in the city, including off-premise and billboard-type structures, is bound by Section 72.8.7's constant-intensity and no-glare-beam rule enforced by the zoning administrator.
Huntsville Bans Beamed, Flashing Sign Lighting
Some RestrictionsHuntsville Zoning Ordinance § 72.8.7 (Code Appendix A)
72.8.7 Illuminated signs and outside lighting devices, including beacons and spotlights, shall emit only light of constant intensity, and no sign shall be illuminated by or contain flashing, blinking, intermittent, rotating or moving light or lights, except electronic display signs that comply with the applicable provisions of this article. In no event shall an illuminated sign or lighting devi...
Looking for Madison County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Huntsville city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Madison County →