Boca Raton, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

" For new development, redevelopment, or modification of existing structures within sight of the beach, floodlights are banned entirely and wall-mounted fixtures must carry hoods so they neither directly nor indirectly illuminate the beach. Pole lighting must be shielded and held to the minimum needed for security, parking lots must use low-profile luminaires (48 inches or less off the ground) aimed so no light reaches the sand, and decorative or accent uplighting is banned outright. Any lighting visible from the beach at all is prohibited under subsection (2)(i), regardless of fixture type.

Windows visible from the beach must use tinted glass or solar screens with 45 percent or lower visible-light transmittance, backed by a 5-year written warranty filed with the Development Services Department Building Inspection Division before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Applicants for new development or major redevelopment within 300 feet of the toe of the dune must submit a Sea Turtle Lighting Plan (STLP) alongside their building permit application, detailing every exterior, landscape, and pool light fixture and every window visible from the beach; lighting must match the approved STLP before occupancy is granted.

For existing buildings, security and recreational lighting visible from the beach must be shielded or shut off between sunset and sunrise from March 1 through October 31 each year, the peak sea turtle nesting season, and dune-crosswalk lights must go dark on the same schedule. Temporary construction security lights are capped at 15 feet in height and may not spread illumination beyond the property being developed. Publicly owned streetlights and park lighting near the beach must be shielded and directed away from the sand, and street sign lights along State Road A1A visible from the beach must be turned off during the same March-through-October window.