Outdoor Lighting in Charlotte County, FL (2026)

2 rules for unincorporated Charlotte County, Florida.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Charlotte County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Dark Sky Rules

Charlotte County has no general inland dark-sky ordinance, but its Gulf beaches carry a real sea-turtle lighting rule. On Manasota Key, Don Pedro Island, and the Englewood beaches, coastal fixtures must be shielded, amber, and kept dark during nesting season, May 1 to October 31.

Charlotte County Sea Turtle & Outdoor Lighting

Some Restrictions

Fla. Stat. § 161.163

The department shall also adopt by rule guidelines for local government regulations that control beachfront lighting to protect hatching sea turtles.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Light Trespass & Shielding

Charlotte County requires commercial exterior lighting to be shielded and directional so it never spills onto neighboring properties. Fixtures cap at thirty feet over parking areas and fifteen feet everywhere else on site, and none may rise above the roofline of the building they serve, under the county's commercial design standards article.

Charlotte County Commercial Lighting Glare Rules

Some Restrictions

Charlotte County Code Sec. 3-5-512(c)-(f) (Ord. No. 2003-023, § 1, 5-27-03)

(c)Light fixtures shall be a maximum of thirty (30) feet in height in parking areas and a maximum of fifteen (15) feet in height in all other areas of the site, but shall in no case rise above the roof line of the buildings of the site which it serves.(d)Lighting shall be designed to prevent the glare or spillage of light onto adjacent properties and to prevent hazardous interference with autom...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

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