Outdoor Lighting in Worcester County, MD (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, multi-family, townhouse, commercial and industrial sites must use full-cutoff fixtures for any exterior light of 2,050 lumens or more, and sodium vapor lights are prohibited. Section ZS 1-323(b) also caps pole heights, limits upward light angles to forty-five degrees and requires a lighting plan with the site plan.
Worcester County MD Dark-Sky Lighting Standards
Some RestrictionsWorcester County Code § ZS 1-323(b)
(b) Standards for multi-family, townhouse, commercial and industrial development. All exterior lighting shall comply with the provisions of the Worcester County "Design Guidelines and Standards for Commercial Uses" pertaining to lighting and with the following: ... (2) Sodium vapor lights are prohibited. All exterior lights shall be metal halide or another type of white lighting. (3) All exteri...
Light Trespass & Shielding
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, § ZS 1-323(a) states that light trespass (spillover lighting) onto adjacent properties and glare onto roadways are not permitted. All building and site lighting must be focused within the property lines, and subsection (c) separately bars decorative lighting patterns that prove vexatious to nearby properties.
Worcester County MD Light Trespass Prohibition
Some RestrictionsWorcester County Code § ZS 1-323(a) and (c)
(a) Generally. ... All lighting, including exterior lights, signs, building lighting, parking lot lighting, streetlights and lighting necessary for the safety and protection of property, shall be directed, controlled and focused within the site's property lines to minimize glare and illumination of neighboring properties, protect the night sky from light pollution, and specifically to direct th...
Billboard Lighting
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, electronic messaging signs cannot exceed five thousand nits during daylight hours or five hundred nits from dusk to dawn, and they need an automatic dimmer under § ZS 1-324(e)(2). Subsection (h)(2) requires all sign lighting to be shaded and shielded so it does not harm neighbors or the night sky.
Worcester County MD Electronic Sign Brightness Limits
Some RestrictionsWorcester County Code § ZS 1-324(e)(2)F-G and (h)(2)
F. Electronic messaging signs must not exceed a maximum illumination of five thousand nits during daylight hours and a maximum illumination of five hundred nits between dusk to dawn as measured from the sign's face at maximum brightness. G. Electronic messaging signs must have an automatic dimmer control to produce a distinct illumination change from a higher illumination level to a lower level...
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