Broward County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Fixture standard
- Full cutoff or equivalent required
- Color temperature cap
- 3000K maximum
- Residential light trespass limit
- ½ footcandle at property line
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Broward County only
Summary
Unincorporated Broward requires full cutoff outdoor fixtures, caps color temperature at 3000K, and sets footcandle light-trespass limits at property lines.
All outdoor lighting, including display, sign, building, parking lot, and aesthetic lighting, must use full cutoff fixtures or equivalent.f.Functional equivalents allowed. Lights that are properly installed in an architectural space (such as under a porch roof or a roof overhang), which provide the functional equivalence of a full cutoff fixture, need not use full cutoff fixtures. Similarly, a fixture having a U-0 B.U.G. rating may also be used.g.High intensity lighting, such as incandescent, fluorescent, and mercury vapor lighting, is prohibited. Energy efficient lighting (such as HPS, LPS, and LED) is recommended and encouraged.h.All outdoor lighting shall have a Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) of no greater than 3000K.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72 | Administrative Code: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 39-112 of the Broward County Zoning Code requires new outdoor luminaires (parking lot, building, sign, and aesthetic lighting) to be full cutoff fixtures or an equivalent, bans incandescent, fluorescent, and mercury vapor fixtures, and limits color temperature to 3000K or less. Sites are assigned to lighting zones LZ-0 through LZ-3 with per-square-foot lumen caps, and light trespass is capped at one-half footcandle at residential or open-space property lines and one footcandle elsewhere. This chapter applies only in unincorporated Broward County per Sec. 39-2; Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs, and the county's other 27 municipalities set their own lighting rules.
Violations & Fines
Enforced under Chapter 8½ Code Enforcement; nonconforming fixtures aimed at streets or bike paths must be shielded or redirected within one year, and other nonconforming lighting must comply at renovation once permit value exceeds 50% of replacement cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply inside Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood?
Are mercury vapor security lights allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broward County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Broward County to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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