Chapel Hill, NC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 5.11 (Lighting Standards) of Appendix A (Land Use Management Ordinance) of the Chapel Hill Code of Ordinances is administered by the Town of Chapel Hill Planning Department and reviewed during site plan and zoning compliance permit submission. The core operative provisions: (a) increases in illumination on off-site property shall not result in lighting levels in excess of 0.3 foot-candles, measured at ground level; (b) outdoor lighting, except sports and athletic field lighting, shall be mounted at heights no greater than 15 feet for non-cutoff lights and no greater than 35 feet for full cutoff lights; (c) lighting plan requirement: each application for a zoning compliance permit for development other than a single-family or two-family dwelling shall include a lighting plan that shows existing and proposed lighting fixture types and locations, and shall indicate by isolux contour diagram and grid points the measured and calculated pre-development and post-development foot-candles at grade both on the development site and on adjacent property where lighting impacts are expected; (d) lighting-plan certification: the lighting plan must be sealed by a professional engineer with demonstrable expertise in lighting design and mitigation strategies, or a lighting specialist who is Lighting Certified (LC) by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP); (e) sports and athletic field lighting must include glare-control features (louvers, shields, or similar devices) and must be designed so that primary illumination is directed onto the play area and ancillary areas such as bleachers and stands, with all fixtures aimed so beams fall within the primary playing or performance area. Single-family and two-family dwellings are exempt from the engineered lighting-plan requirement but remain subject to the 0.3 fc off-site cap and general nuisance review by Code Enforcement. The OI-4 Zoning District (the UNC-Chapel Hill development zone) has additional review provisions and the standard off-site impact analysis extends to property outside the OI-4 boundary. North Carolina has no statewide dark-sky statute and Chapel Hill has not been certified by DarkSky International as a dark-sky community; the nearest IDA-certified International Dark Sky Park is Mayland Earth to Sky Park & Bare Dark Sky Observatory in Yancey County, NC (designated 2014). LUMO is being rewritten under the Town's Re-Writing Our Rules / LUMO Update initiative; the 0.3 fc off-site cap and full-cutoff requirement have remained the core standard through successive amendments since LUMO's 2003 adoption.