Outdoor Lighting in Mount Pleasant, SC (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
The Town of Mount Pleasant bars nearly all upward-directed outdoor light. Town Code § 156.976 assigns every outdoor luminaire a Backlight-Uplight-Glare (BUG) rating, and Table 156.976-3 sets the maximum uplight rating at U0, zero, for every fixture across both of the town's lighting zones, a full cutoff-style standard meant to cut skyglow.
Mount Pleasant Zero-Uplight Dark-Sky Rule
Heavy RestrictionsMount Pleasant Code of Ordinances § 156.976(A)(3); Table 156.976-3
(A) Backlight, uplight, and glare (BUG) ratings. (1) Generally. The three components of BUG ratings are based on the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Technical Memorandum: Luminaire Classification System for Outdoor Luminaires. Each component is assigned a value between zero and five, with lower numbers indicating a luminaire emits less light in a given direction. A zero value means the l...
Light Trespass & Shielding
To stop outdoor lighting from spilling onto neighboring lots, the Town of Mount Pleasant caps how much backlight a fixture may emit based on its distance from the property line. Town Code § 156.976 defines backlight as the component that creates light trespass onto adjacent lots and streets, and Table 156.976-3 sets tighter backlight ratings the closer a luminaire sits to a lot line.
Mount Pleasant Light Trespass Backlight Limit
Some RestrictionsMount Pleasant Code of Ordinances § 156.976(A)(2); Table 156.976-3
(A) Backlight, uplight, and glare (BUG) ratings. (1) Generally. ... Each component is assigned a value between zero and five, with lower numbers indicating a luminaire emits less light in a given direction. ... (2) Backlight. Backlight creates light trespass onto adjacent lots and streets. ... Lighting Zone (LZ) LZ 1 LZ 2 ... Backlight Rating (max.) 2 or more mounting heights from lot lin...
Billboard Lighting
Any illuminated sign in the Town of Mount Pleasant, including an off-premises billboard sited in the Light Industrial District under § 156.828, must meet the external-illumination standard in Town Code § 156.816(A)(3): a steady, stationary, shielded light source aimed only at the sign face, capped at 20 footcandles, in white light, and invisible from the street right-of-way.
Mount Pleasant Sign & Billboard Lighting Cap
Some RestrictionsMount Pleasant Code of Ordinances § 156.816(A)(3)
(3) External illumination. (a) Illumination shall be a steady, stationary light source, shielded and directed solely at the sign. (b) Light sources to illuminate signs shall neither be visible from any street right-of-way, nor cause glare hazardous to pedestrians or vehicle drivers, or so as to create a nuisance to adjacent properties. (c) The intensity of light shall not exceed 20 foot...
Looking for Charleston County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Mount Pleasant city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Charleston County →