Cabarrus County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Appendix B of the Cabarrus County Development Ordinance sets the county's shielding standard for commercial lighting: every light fixture, whether freestanding, flood, or another form, must carry full cut-off fixtures, visors, or comparable directional controls that send light downward or onto the building itself, and wall pack fixtures are prohibited entirely. The rule attaches to new commercial projects in the O-I, LC, and GC zoning districts, and to specific commercial uses (banks, convenience stores, gas stations, drive-thru restaurants, shopping centers of 10,000 square feet or less, and nursery/daycare uses) when those uses are permitted in the AO, CR, LDR, MDR, or HDR districts.

Freestanding fixtures along public and internal streets cannot exceed 19 feet in total mounted height and must be decorative fixtures that shield the light source from neighboring land. Parking lot fixtures top out at 33 feet and must shield the source while directing illumination down onto the pavement. Separately, Appendix D's county-wide outdoor lighting standards cap mounting height at 18 feet above grade for non-cutoff fixtures versus 35 feet for cutoff fixtures, effectively rewarding shielded designs with more height. A photometric plan must be submitted with zoning site plan review to demonstrate compliance before a permit issues, and lighting for active recreation fields (ball fields, tennis courts) is exempted from the height caps but still must meet the illumination limits.