Outdoor Lighting in Frederick County, VA (2026)
2 rules for unincorporated Frederick County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, the Zoning Ordinance requires every new or replacement outdoor lighting fixture to be fully shielded, aimed downward and full-cutoff so no light is emitted above the horizontal plane, keeping glare off adjacent properties and road rights-of-way.
Frederick County Requires Full-Cutoff Outdoor Light Fixtures
Some RestrictionsFrederick County Code § 165-807.04.A(1)
All outdoor lighting fixtures shall be designed to be fully shielded, aimed, downcast (i.e., full-cutoff), located, and maintained to shield adjacent properties and to not produce or direct glare onto adjacent properties or road ROW. (a) For purposes of this Part, shielding means that the outdoor lighting fixture is constructed so that all of the light emitted by the fixture is projected below ...
Light Trespass & Shielding
In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, nonresidential outdoor lighting cannot exceed 0.2 footcandle measured at a property line adjoining agricultural or residential land, and every light pole on that side must carry supplemental opaque shielding to cut glare toward the neighbor.
Frederick County Caps Light Spilling Onto Neighboring Land
Some RestrictionsFrederick County Code § 165-807.05.A (Table VIII-17)
Table VIII-17: Nonresidential Lighting Standards. Location Maximum Average Maintained Horizontal Lighting Level (footcandles) Additional Requirement(s) ... Property line boundaries Adjacent agricultural or residential use/district 0.2 All light poles shall be equipped with supplemental opaque shielding on the residential property side of the lighting fixture to reduce glare caused by direct lig...
All Frederick County ordinances
See every category we cover for Frederick County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Frederick County Ordinance Hub →