Bradenton, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Chapter 7.0 of the Bradenton Land Use Regulations is the city's outdoor lighting ordinance. Its stated intent in § 7.1.1 includes stopping lighting that creates an artificial atmospheric flow that prevents residents from enjoying the night sky around their homes. The operative rule is § 7.2.1: unless exempted, all outdoor lighting fixtures must have full oblique shielding so that a property's light sources do not directly illuminate another property that has an outdoor lighting protected area. Section 7.2.2 adds that light sources need shields to keep glare out of drivers' eyes, up to a height of 16 feet.

The rules apply to development and redevelopment of non-residential projects, multi-family projects, and common improvements in other residential projects such as recreational facilities. They also apply to fixtures added or intensified in those projects. Exemptions in § 7.1.3 cover low intensity lighting for street address numbers, residential entries, driveways and yards with sources rated less than 800 lumens or with shielded fixtures, emergency repairs, and construction lighting not exceeding ten days during any consecutive 12 months. Externally illuminated signs must have full oblique shielding aiming the light down onto the sign.

Sky-facing lighting is limited directly. No fixture can aim light upward to search, sweep, or move through the sky (§ 7.6.1). Outline lights such as strings of lights on roofs, doors and windows cannot light upward, and projected light, laser or otherwise, must terminate on an opaque surface. Light sensors must automatically turn off lights when they sense adequate daylight (§ 7.5.3), and timers can turn lights off and on at pre-set times. Fixture height is capped at 20 feet within 100 feet of another property with a protected area and 35 feet elsewhere. A lighting plan showing shielding angles and direct illumination plots must accompany applications for site improvement or parking lot permits. Public recreational lighting, other than commercial stadiums, must stop at 11:00 p.m.