Cass County, MO Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

670 for new buildings, additions, and enlarged uses in non-residential districts. Among those design standards, the Order requires that any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking and loading areas be minimal and not create a negative light pollution impact on any adjacent residential properties, and that it be directed away from residential use; lighting installed as part of new construction is barred from creating light pollution on adjacent, residentially designated areas. 050, separately defines the technical vocabulary used to administer lighting performance standards countywide, including CUTOFF-TYPE LUMINAIRE (a fixture with shields, reflectors or refractor panels that cut off light at an angle less than ninety degrees), LIGHT POLLUTION, GLARE, and MAXIMUM PERMITTED ILLUMINATION measured in foot-candles at the property line.

Elsewhere in the Order, similarly worded shielding requirements apply to specific commercial installations, such as solar energy facilities and battery storage facilities, which must keep exterior fixtures under fifteen feet and shielded and downcast so light does not encroach on the night sky, showing the county applies the same dark-sky principle across its zoning districts rather than only at parking lots.