Ada County's outdoor-lighting standards regulate glare and up-lighting to protect nighttime skies. Fixtures over 260 lumens must have an opaque top to prevent up-lighting; fixtures at 1,800 lumens or more require a full cut-off shield. Mercury-vapor lamps and skyward lasers are prohibited.
Ada County Code Section 8-3-8 sets outdoor-lighting standards for unincorporated development to conserve energy, regulate glare, prevent nuisance, and enhance nighttime enjoyment. Fixtures under 260 lumens are exempt. Fixtures of 260 lumens or more must have an opaque top to prevent up-lighting; at 1,000 lumens the bulb must not be visible; and at 1,800 lumens or more a 'full cut off shield' is required. Up-lighting is allowed only where shielded from the sky by a roof overhang or similar shield. Mercury-vapor lamps, skyward lasers, and advertising searchlights are prohibited, and rural base districts prohibit neon illumination. These standards apply to unincorporated Ada County; cities set their own lighting rules.
Installing prohibited fixtures or unshielded lighting that fails Section 8-3-8 is a zoning violation; Development Services can withhold approval or require compliant fixtures.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Ada County has no ordinance banning backyard composting. Home compost piles are allowed, but they must not become a nuisance, attract rodents or vermin, or c...
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Ada County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating residential artificial turf. Installation on private property is generally allowed; check drai...
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Ada County does not require any particular landscape plants and does not ban native or xeric plantings. As long as growth is not an overgrown-weed nuisance o...
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Ada County has no ordinance banning rooftop rainwater collection. Under Idaho water law, capturing rain and snowmelt from your own roof for use on your prope...
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Ada County itself sets no residential watering schedule. In the Treasure Valley, outdoor irrigation typically comes from irrigation districts (Nampa-Meridian...
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Ada County declares overgrown weeds and grasses a public nuisance when they create a fire, safety or health hazard, or interfere with neighbors' use of their...
See how Ada County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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