Dark Sky Rules
Outdoor Lighting
Ordinances designed to reduce light pollution, including requirements for shielded fixtures, limits on brightness, and curfews for decorative lighting.
How Dark Sky Rules Rules Differ by Place
Coconino County, AZ: Flagstaff & Coconino County Dark Sky Rules
Heavy RestrictionsFlagstaff was named the world's first International Dark Sky City in 2001. Its Zoning Code and the Coconino County lighting ordinance cap outdoor light output, require full shielding…
Flagstaff, AZ: Flagstaff's Dark Sky Outdoor Lighting Rules
Heavy RestrictionsIn the City of Flagstaff, the world's first International Dark Sky City, Division 10-50.70 requires fully or partially shielded outdoor light fixtures, bans unshielded lighting aimed…
Grand Junction, CO: Grand Junction dark-sky outdoor lighting rules
Heavy RestrictionsGrand Junction's outdoor lighting chapter is written explicitly to protect the night sky. GJMC § 21.11.010 states the purpose as minimizing light pollution and light trespass, and §…
Hernando County, FL: Hernando County Dark Sky & Outdoor Lighting
Few RestrictionsHernando County has no county-wide dark-sky ordinance, and Florida has no statewide dark-sky law. New commercial development must keep glare off neighboring property under the zoning…
Elkhart County, IN: Elkhart County Outdoor Lighting Rules
Few RestrictionsElkhart County has no comprehensive dark-sky or full-cutoff lighting ordinance. Its Zoning Ordinance instead requires parking-area lighting to reflect light away from adjoining…
Linden, NJ: Linden's Dark-Sky Lighting Guidance
Few RestrictionsCity Code § 31-11.12(c) asks outdoor lighting in Linden's Planned Commercial Development (PCD) district to meet 'dark sky' standards: downcast, shielded fixtures that illuminate only…
Dark Sky Rules Rules by State
Statewide law governs this topic in many states. Each entry links to that state's full page.
Arizona
Some RestrictionsArizona regulates outdoor lighting statewide through the Outdoor Light Control statutes, requiring shielded fixtures and limits on certain lamp types, particularly in counties hosting…
Hawaii
Some RestrictionsHRS 201-8.5 requires all state agencies to use fully shielded outdoor lighting fixtures emitting more than 3,000 lumens with a correlated color temperature at or below 4,000 Kelvin to…
New Mexico
Some RestrictionsNew Mexico's Night Sky Protection Act (NMSA 74-12-1 to 74-12-11) requires most outdoor lighting fixtures installed after July 1, 2019 to be shielded so light is cast below the…
Rhode Island
Some RestrictionsRhode Island General Laws Chapter 42-136 requires state-funded outdoor lighting to be fully shielded, energy efficient, and designed to minimize light pollution and glare. The statute…
Cities & Counties with Dark Sky Rules Rules
804 locations
Alabama
Arizona
Florida
New Jersey
Tennessee
Other Outdoor Lighting Topics
Light Trespass & Shielding
Rules preventing outdoor lights from shining onto neighboring homes, shielding and full-cutoff fixture requirements, aiming standards, and footcandle caps at the property line.
Billboard Lighting
Lighting standards for outdoor advertising, luminance limits, dwell time, sky-glow mitigation, and curfew hours after which billboards must dim or shut off.