Caldwell, ID Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Caldwell City Code § 10-08-09-4 sets dark-sky-oriented lighting standards for the downtown zoning districts. Any fixture taller than 15 feet must carry a full cutoff shield. Floodlight fixtures are prohibited downtown outside of alleys, and where alley floodlights are used they must be sensor-activated, triggered only by activity on the property, and set to switch off within five minutes after activity stops. Uplighting is allowed only where the fixture and its light are shielded from the sky by a roof overhang or a similar structural shield, and the code separately states that all facade lighting shall comply with dark sky standards, must stay energy efficient and warm white in color, and along alleys must use black metal gooseneck fixtures fixed at eight feet above grade.

A short list of lighting types is banned outright: mercury vapor lamps and fixtures, laser or similarly high-intensity light projected above the horizontal plane, and changing-color, strobe, moving, or searchlight fixtures used for advertising, except where the city approves them for a temporary use. Streetlights within the downtown districts must also match the city's approved manufacturer and model under § 10-08-09-5, keeping the corridor's fixture style consistent block to block. These standards apply to new construction, additions, and exterior renovation, and are reviewed by Planning and Zoning alongside the rest of the downtown design package.