Bellingham, WA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Upward lighting
- Prohibited outright
- Parking lot minimum
- 1 footcandle at property line
- Applies to
- Large retail facility design review
- Enforced by
- City of Bellingham planning department
Summary
Large retail buildings in Bellingham, Washington must shield and aim outdoor lighting downward: upward-directed lighting is prohibited outright under the city's large retail facility design standards in Whatcom County.
All outdoor lighting shall be sized and directed to avoid adverse impact and spillover onto adjacent properties. Upward directed lighting is prohibited. Outside parking lot lighting shall not be less than one footcandle per IES minimum lighting standards at the property line, and shall be designed to minimize glare and spillover onto adjacent properties. Building and aesthetic lighting must be shielded to prevent direct glare and/or light trespass in excess of one footcandle at the property line.
b. Night lighting shall be provided for all pedestrian walkways.
c. All exterior lighting shall utilize cutoff shields or otherwise be designed to conceal the light source from adjoining uses and streets.
d. The maximum height of light poles in parking lots abutting residential zones shall not exceed 18 feet.
7. Signs.
a. Blinking, animated, moving or changeable copy signs (reader or electronic message boards) are prohibited.
b. Signs on the building shall not extend above the parapet or roof line. Parapet walls may not be erected for the sole purpose of extending sign heights and when they are not in character with the rest of the building or complex.
c. Signs shall be designed and located to minimize impacts on residential uses. Signs shall not be located on any wall, canopy or building facade facing abutting residential zones.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Bellingham Municipal Code § 20.25.060(B)(6)(a) governs design review for large retail establishments citywide. It bans upward-directed light fixtures outright and requires all outdoor lighting be sized and aimed to avoid spillover onto neighboring parcels. Parking lot lighting must meet a minimum one-footcandle IES standard at the property line, and building or accent lighting must carry cutoff shields to control glare and light trespass. The rule applies during design review before a building permit issues for qualifying large retail projects in the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington: it does not reach ordinary homes or small businesses.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant lighting design can block issuance of a building permit; the planning department can require lighting plan revisions, fixture retrofits, or photometric resubmission before final approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bellingham require dark-sky lighting for all buildings?
What counts as upward-directed lighting under Bellingham's rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
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