Outdoor Lighting in James City County, VA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated James City County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
James City County's outdoor lighting ordinance, adopted to protect the night sky from nuisance glare, requires full-cutoff fixtures aimed straight down for parking lots, roadways and other horizontal surfaces under § 24-132(a), and full-cutoff or directionally shielded fixtures for facades, landscaping and signs under § 24-132(b). Community Development reviews a lighting plan before approving site and subdivision plans.
James City County Outdoor Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsJames City County Code §§ 24-129, 24-132(a)-(b)
The intent of this ordinance is to require and set minimum standards for outdoor lighting to provide and control lighting in outdoor public places to promote public health, safety and welfare. These standards are intended to protect drivers and pedestrians from the glare of non-vehicular light sources; protect citizens and the night sky from nuisance glare and light trespass from improperly sel...
Light Trespass & Shielding
James City County caps how much outdoor light can spill onto a neighbor's property. Under Zoning Ordinance § 24-132(c), light trespass measured at 0.1 footcandle or higher beyond any property line, or into the public right-of-way, is prohibited, with a narrow carve-out for lighting a public pedestrian accommodation and a waiver route through the planning director.
James City County Light Trespass Limit
Some RestrictionsJames City County Code § 24-132(c)
(c)Light trespass. Light trespass, defined as light intensity measured at 0.1 footcandle or higher extending beyond any property line or into the public right-of-way, shall be prohibited. In cases where there is a public pedestrian accommodation located within an adjacent public right-of-way, light intensity greater than 0.1 footcandle may cross into the right-of-way in order to light the pedes...
Billboard Lighting
James City County bans off-premise billboards outright under the Zoning Ordinance's prohibited-signs list, § 24-75(1). Even a lawfully permitted on-premise sign cannot use colored lighting that could be mistaken for a traffic signal within 300 feet, or be internally illuminated within 150 feet of a Community Character Corridor right-of-way. Community Development enforces both bars.
James City County Billboard Lighting Ban
Heavy RestrictionsJames City County Code § 24-75(1), (4), (5)
The following signs are specifically prohibited: (1)Off-premise signs or off-premise billboards, unless specifically exempted by section 24-74. ... (4)Signs so located and so illuminated as to provide a background of colored lights blending with traffic signal lights that might reasonably confuse a motorist when viewed from a normal approach position of a vehicle at a distance of up to 300 feet...
All James City County ordinances
See every category we cover for James City County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
James City County Ordinance Hub →