Cape Coral, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Chapter 6 of the Land Development Code, Sections 5.6.1 and 5.6.2, sets Cape Coral's outdoor lighting standards. Section 5.6.1 states the purpose directly: reduce the impact of ambient lighting on the natural sky by capping intensities and controlling glare, and it applies these standards to all permanent outdoor lighting from any light source in nonresidential development, meaning single-family homes fall outside this chapter's shielding mandate. Section 5.6.2(A) requires that every outdoor lighting fixture be installed so the light source itself is shielded, positioned, and maintained so it is not visible from off the premises, a full-cutoff style requirement rather than a simple 'point it down' suggestion.

Section 5.6.2(B) adds a specific cap for parking lots: lighting cannot emit any light above 90 degrees, which rules out fixtures that spill light upward or sideways past the horizontal plane. Beyond shielding, Section 5.6.2(D) requires all areas designed for use after daylight hours to be lit to specific minimum and maximum foot-candle levels set out in Table 5.6.2, with a commercial or industrial building entrance needing between 1 and 5 foot-candles. Reviewers check compliance at the site plan and building permit stage for new nonresidential construction, and Table 5.6.2's foot-candle ranges give inspectors a numeric benchmark rather than a subjective glare judgment.

The shielding and 90-degree cutoff standards work together with the residential-adjacency limit in Section 5.6.2(C), which separately caps light spilling onto residential property at 0.1 foot-candles.