Outdoor Lighting in Roanoke, VA (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Roanoke, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Roanoke's zoning ordinance requires all outdoor lighting to be fully shielded, or aimed and shielded, so it throws no glare onto abutting lots or streets. Pole-mounted fixtures stop at 18 feet in residential, MX and IN districts and 35 feet in every other district, and feeds to lighting standards must run underground.
Roanoke Outdoor Lighting Shielding and Pole Height Rules
Some RestrictionsRoanoke Zoning Ordinance § 36.2-625
All outdoor lighting shall be fully shielded or located, aimed, and shielded so as not to present glare on abutting lots or streets and to minimize spill light trespassing upward or across lot lines. ... No outdoor lighting shall be permitted which shines directly into abutting residential dwelling units, buildings on adjacent lots, or abutting streets, or for which the point source of illumina...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Every outdoor light fixture installed under a Roanoke development plan or replacing an existing one must be fully shielded and aimed so it does not glare onto an abutting lot or street. Pole-mounted fixtures in residential, Mixed Use, and Institutional districts must stay at least 10 feet from any lot line and cannot exceed 18 feet. The Zoning Administrator enforces Section 36.2-625.
Roanoke Outdoor Lighting Can't Trespass Onto Neighbors
Some RestrictionsRoanoke City Code § 36.2-625(a), (b)(1)(A)
(a)Generally.(1)All outdoor lighting shall be fully shielded or located, aimed, and shielded so as not to present glare on abutting lots or streets and to minimize spill light trespassing upward or across lot lines.(2)No outdoor lighting shall be permitted which shines directly into abutting residential dwelling units, buildings on adjacent lots, or abutting streets, or for which the point sour...
Billboard Lighting
Roanoke requires every illuminated sign, including outdoor advertising billboards, to keep its light source enclosed or shielded so the point source is never visible from an adjacent street or lot, and any ground light aimed at a sign must be fully screened by landscaping if its source is not shielded, under Section 36.2-666.
Roanoke Illuminated Sign and Billboard Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsRoanoke Zoning Ordinance § 36.2-666
When any sign is illuminated, such lights shall be enclosed in the sign, or if external, such external light source shall be located, shielded, or directed so as to concentrate the illumination upon the area of the sign face and so that the point source of the light is not visible from any adjacent street or lot. If ground lighting is used to illuminate a sign, and the point source of the light...