Outdoor Lighting in Guilford County, NC (2026)
3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Guilford County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Every exterior fixture in unincorporated Guilford County, including security lighting, must be a full cut-off fixture aimed straight down with no glow above the horizontal plane of the fixture, and outdoor light poles are capped at 35 feet except on athletic fields, under UDO Section 6.3.E.
Guilford County Dark-Sky Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsGuilford County UDO Sec. 6.3.E.2 & E.3
2. Light Shielding All exterior luminaries, including security lighting, shall be full cut-off fixtures and directed downward, consistent with Figure 6-3-1 below. In no case shall lighting be directed above a horizontal plane through the lighting fixture. 3. Maximum Height Except for athletic fields or performance areas, the height of outdoor lighting, whether mounted on poles, walls, or by oth...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Guilford County caps outdoor light spilling across a property line at 0.5 footcandles next to residential land, 1.0 for civic uses, 2.0 for commercial, and 3.0 for industrial, and requires commercial and industrial lighting near homes to shut off by 10 p.m. except for security lighting, under UDO Section 6.3.E.
Guilford County Light Trespass Limits
Some RestrictionsGuilford County UDO Sec. 6.3.E.1 & E.4
1. Hours of Illumination Commercial and industrial uses - both of which are adjacent to existing residential development - shall extinguish all exterior lighting--except lighting necessary for security or emergency purposes--by 10:00 P.M. ... 4. Maximum Illumination Levels All outdoor lighting and indoor lighting visible from outside shall be designed and located so that the maximum illuminatio...
Billboard Lighting
Guilford County bans direct illumination on billboards outright: UDO Subsec. 7.11.E allows only indirect lighting or no illumination at all, and blocks animated lighting features entirely. The restriction tracks the state DOT's outdoor advertising rule at NCAC 19A.2E.023, so a billboard along an Interstate corridor cannot use an internally lit LED face.
Billboard Illumination Rules in Guilford County
Significant RestrictionsGuilford County UDO Subsec. 7.11.E
E. ILLUMINATION Billboards may be indirectly illuminated or non-illuminated. No billboard may contain any animated features as defined in Subsec. 12 - Definitions, or any form of direct illumination per NCAC 19A.2E.023.
Outdoor Lighting by City in Guilford County
2 cities in Guilford County have their own outdoor lighting rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Guilford County ordinances
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