Outdoor Lighting in St. Petersburg, FL (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for St. Petersburg, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
St. Petersburg requires new outdoor light fixtures to be full cut-off and shielded so they don't spill glare onto neighboring homes. City Code Section 16.40.070 sets setback and house-side shielding standards for multifamily and nonresidential lighting that abuts residential property, with a development permit needed for any pole over ten feet.
St. Petersburg Outdoor Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 16.40.070.4
All outdoor lighting shall be designed and installed to prevent glare and light trespass on abutting property. ... Where outdoor lighting is proposed for installation, full cut-off lighting fixtures are required for all outdoor walkway, parking lot, canopy and building/wall mounted lighting, and all lighting located within those portions of open-sided parking structures that are above ground. ....
Light Trespass & Shielding
Where a multi-family or nonresidential property abuts a home or residential zone, City Code § 16.40.070.4.A.2 requires outdoor light fixtures to either sit back the minimum distance from the lot line or use house-side shielding, and lights on one- or two-unit lots abutting another home must be shielded or angled to keep light off the neighbor's property.
St. Petersburg Security Light Shielding Rule
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 16.40.070.4.A.2
Setback or shielding requirement. Where a multi-family dwelling of three or more units or a nonresidential use abuts property that is residentially zoned or has a dwelling of one or two units, all outdoor lighting fixtures shall be setback the minimum distance from the nearest lot line or "house-side shielding" shall be used on the residential property side of the lighting fixture as shown in t...
Billboard Lighting
St. Petersburg forces every digital billboard to run a light-sensing dimmer that caps brightness against ambient light, bans glare that blinds drivers, and requires the sign to fail safe, going dark or full black, under City Code Section 16.40.120.8.
St. Petersburg Digital Billboard Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsSt. Petersburg City Code § 16.40.120.8
8.Each sign shall have a light sensing device to adjust brightness as ambient light conditions change in order to insure that the message meets the following brightness standards. The maximum brightness shall be 0.3 foot candles above the ambient light measured 150 feet perpendicular from the face of a sign that is less than or equal to 300.0 square feet in area, 200 feet perpendicular from the...
Looking for Pinellas County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement St. Petersburg city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Pinellas County →