Bellingham, WA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Bellingham regulates outdoor lighting through several layers of its Municipal Code rather than a stand-alone dark-sky chapter. BMC 22.08.180 (Lighting, in the Shoreline Master Program) requires that development proposals within shorelines include a master lighting plan (MLP) that specifies the location of all outdoor lighting and building security lighting with associated wattages; pole heights must not exceed 20 feet; fixture designs for all outdoor lighting must shield the source or bulb of the light; and the photometric plan must not exceed a strength of one foot-candle at the property lines. Where lighting is required for new streets, driveways, or public access features, the lowest level of lighting possible must be used and must be compliant with safety and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards. BMC 20.37.280 (Fountain District Village - Lighting) provides more specific neighborhood standards: building and aesthetic lighting must be shielded to prevent direct glare and/or light trespass in excess of one and one-half foot-candles at the property line (with an exception along Meridian Street in the commercial core); wall packs (flood lights) must be fully shielded to direct the light downward with a maximum bulb wattage of 100 watts. Bellingham's shoreline lighting standards thus apply dark-sky principles - shielding, photometric caps at property lines, and pole-height limits - across all shoreline development. Outside shoreline jurisdiction and the Fountain District, lighting is reviewed during site-plan and design-review approval against the applicable urban-village, design, and zoning chapters of BMC Title 20. Single-family residential exterior lighting is generally not subject to BMC 22.08.180 or 20.37.280 development standards but remains subject to nuisance review. Washington State has no comprehensive statewide dark-sky statute.