Outdoor Lighting in Okaloosa County, FL (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Okaloosa County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Okaloosa County's beachfront lighting rules exist mainly to protect sea turtles. Gulf-front and Okaloosa Island properties must use shielded, long-wavelength amber fixtures and keep beaches dark during nesting season, May 1 through October 31.
Okaloosa County Beachfront & Dark Sky Lighting
Some RestrictionsFla. Stat. § 161.163
The department shall also adopt by rule guidelines for local government regulations that control beachfront lighting to protect hatching sea turtles.
Light Trespass & Shielding
Okaloosa County bans any measurable light overspill onto a neighbor's property. Section 6.11.04 caps overspill from new exterior, parking and advertising lighting at zero footcandles on adjacent lots, and bars luminaires or diffuser screens from being visible from next door, countywide in the unincorporated area.
Okaloosa County Outdoor Light Trespass Rule
Heavy RestrictionsOkaloosa County, FL, Land Development Code §§ 6.11.03, 6.11.04(1)
A detailed lighting plan, drawn and signed by a licensed design professional, depicting proposed footcandles at adjacent property lines shall be submitted to the Growth Management Department as part of the required Development Order application. ... New lighting. All exterior lighting for recreational, advertising, off street area parking purposes, or for any other purposes shall be designed so...
Billboard Lighting
Okaloosa County bans up-lighting any billboard or other advertising media outright under LDC § 6.11.04, no matter whether the sign itself needed a development order. All outdoor lighting must also avoid spilling onto neighboring property, and a licensed engineer or architect must certify each installation before it goes into permanent use.
Okaloosa County Billboard Up-Lighting Ban
Heavy RestrictionsOkaloosa County, FL, Land Development Code § 6.11.04
1.New lighting. All exterior lighting for recreational, advertising, off street area parking purposes, or for any other purposes shall be designed so that any overspill of lighting onto adjacent properties shall not exceed zero footcandles on adjacent properties or structures, nor shall luminaires or diffuser screening be visible from an adjacent property.2.Up-lighting of billboards or other ad...
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