Outdoor Lighting in Tacoma, WA (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Tacoma, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Outdoor light fixtures within 100 feet of a residential district in Tacoma must use full cutoff luminaires meeting the Illuminating Engineering Society's cutoff distribution spec to control glare.
Tacoma Cutoff Lighting Near Homes
Some RestrictionsTacoma Municipal Code § 13.06.090J.3.b
Residential light pollution. To ensure control of and to minimize glare, any lighting within 100 feet of an R District shall use luminaires which meet the Illuminating Engineering Society's cutoff light distribution specification. (3) General light pollution. To control and minimize glare, all other luminaries for area and/or off-street parking shal...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Lighting on non-residential sites in Tacoma cannot exceed 3 lux at the property line of any adjacent residential parcel, measured at the brightest light source visible from that boundary.
Tacoma Outdoor Light Trespass Cap
Some RestrictionsTacoma Municipal Code § 13.06.090J.3.a
Light trespass from sites in non-residential zoning districts shall not exceed 3 lux (0.3 foot candles) at parcel boundaries with residential zoning districts. This luminance value shall be measured at the eye in a plane perpendicular to the line-of-sight when looking at the brightest source in the field of view at any point on the property line of any residential parcel. b. Residential ligh...
Billboard Lighting
Tacoma bans internally illuminated and flashing billboards and requires all billboard lighting to shut off between midnight and 5 a.m.
Tacoma Billboard Lighting Rules
Significant RestrictionsTacoma Municipal Code § 13.06.090I.3.m(11)
No internally illuminated billboards are allowed. ... Lighting shall be directed toward the billboard and utilize cutoff shields or other means to prevent glare and spillover onto adjacent properties or skyward. No flashing billboards shall be permitted. ... All lighting for billboards must be turned off between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m.
Looking for Pierce County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tacoma city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Pierce County →