Skip to main content
CityRuleLookup

Outdoor Lighting in St. Charles County, MO (2026)

2 rules for unincorporated St. Charles County, Missouri.

Verified from official government sources

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

Dark Sky Rules

St. Charles County caps exterior lighting at 0.50 foot-candles measured at the property line, bans fixtures aimed into neighboring residential lots, and holds pole lights to 20 feet or the height of the building they light, whichever is shorter.

St. Charles County Outdoor Lighting Limits

Some Restrictions

St. Charles County Code Section 405.421

In no instance shall an exterior lighting fixture be oriented so that the lighting element (or a transparent shield) is directed to an adjacent property located within a residential zoning district... In no instance shall the amount of illumination attributable to exterior lighting, as measured at the property line, exceed 0.50 foot-candles... Lights on poles shall not be taller than the buildi...

Light Trespass & Shielding

Section 405.421 of the St. Charles County Unified Development Ordinance stops an exterior lighting fixture, or the transparent shield on it, from being aimed at an adjacent property in a residential zoning district, and it caps light measured at the property line at 0.50 foot-candles. The rule covers single-family homes as well as commercial, institutional and industrial sites.

St. Charles County Light Shielding Rule

Some Restrictions

Section 405.421

In no instance shall an exterior lighting fixture be oriented so that the lighting element (or a transparent shield) is directed to an adjacent property located within a residential zoning district. The use of shielded luminaries and careful fixture placement is encouraged... In no instance shall the amount of illumination attributable to exterior lighting, as measured at the property line, exc...

All St. Charles County ordinances

See every category we cover for St. Charles County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

St. Charles County Ordinance Hub →