Outdoor Lighting in Memphis, TN (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Memphis, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Commercial, multi-family and mixed-use sites across Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County must curtail light pollution and skyglow under the joint Unified Development Code's outdoor lighting chapter. Parking lot luminaires can emit zero light above 90 degrees, and every fixture carries an Uplight rating capped by its Lighting Zone. Single-family and two-family home lighting is not covered.
Memphis Outdoor Lighting Dark-Sky Shielding Rule
Some RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code §§ 4.7.1, 4.7.3.A.1.b-c
c. Curtail light pollution, reduce skyglow and improve the nighttime environment ... b. Limits to Off Site Impacts All luminaires shall be rated and installed according to Maximum Allowable Backlight, Uplight and Glare (BUG) Ratings (Tables C). c. Light Shielding for Parking Lot Illumination All parking lot lighting shall have no light emitted above 90 degrees. Exception: Ornamental parking lig...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County require non-residential and multi-family site lighting to stay off neighboring land under the joint Unified Development Code. The Backlight rating in Table C-1 tightens the closer a fixture sits to a property line, and glare ratings do the same, so spillover onto an adjacent lot is capped by distance and orientation rather than left to the installer's judgment.
Memphis Outdoor Lighting Light Trespass Limits
Some RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code §§ 4.7.1, 4.7.3.A.1.b (Table C-1 note)
Lighting design and installation shall ensure that lighting accomplishes on-site lighting needs without intrusion on adjacent properties. ... b. Minimize adverse offsite impacts of lighting such as light trespass and obtrusive light ... b. Limits to Off Site Impacts All luminaires shall be rated and installed according to Maximum Allowable Backlight, Uplight and Glare (BUG) Ratings (Tables C). ...
Billboard Lighting
Digital billboards and electronic message boards in Memphis must run ambient light monitors that automatically dim the display at night and in cloudy weather. The Unified Development Code caps any brightness increase at 0.3 foot candles over ambient light, measured at set distances tied to sign size, or lets an owner instead prove the sign stays under 7,500 nits by day and 300 nits at night.
Memphis Digital Billboard Brightness Limit
Some RestrictionsMemphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code § 4.9.6.E(2)(d)
Brightness. Electronic and video technology in signs shall use automatic level controls to reduce light levels at night and under cloudy or other darkened conditions, in accordance with the following standards. All electronic or digital display unit message boards shall have installed ambient light monitors, and shall at all times allow such monitors to automatically adjust the brightness level...
Looking for Shelby County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Memphis city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Shelby County →