Columbia, MO Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Shielding trigger
- over 900 lumens
- Required fixture type
- IESNA full cutoff
- Max beam angle
- 90 degrees
- Grandfathered lighting
- installed before Dec. 4, 2006
Summary
Any outdoor light in Columbia, Missouri brighter than 900 lumens, about a 60-watt bulb, must use an IESNA full cutoff fixture aimed no more than 90 degrees, to cut glare and skyglow.
Any light source or lamp that emits more than nine hundred (900) lumens (13 watt compact fluorescent or 60 watt incandescent) shall be concealed or shielded with an IESNA full cut-off style fixture with an angle not exceeding 90 degrees to minimize the potential for glare and unnecessary diffusion on adjacent property.
Table 4.5-1: Color Rendering Index Range of Lamps Lamp Type Color Rendering Index (CRI) Fluorescent Lite White > 40 Warm White > 50 Warm White Deluxe > 70 Cool White > 60 Cool White Deluxe > 80 White > 60 Daylight > 70 T12 Rare Earth Phosphor > 69 to > 80 T8 Rare Earth Phosphor > 70 to > 90 Natural > 80 Incandescent > 80 Compact T4, T5 > 80 C50, C70, DSGN 50 > 90 Mercury Vapor Clear 15—25 Coated 40 to > 50 Metal Halide Clear or Coated 60 > 90 High Pressure Sodium Standard > 20 Color Improved > 60 High Color Rendering > 80 Low Pressure Sodium > 20
From "Lighting for Parking Facilities," Report 20 - 98 of the IESNA 1998. For lamp types not listed above, the Manufacture's CRI for the lamp can be used to determine if the lamp meets the standard of a CRI > 60.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 138).
Full Breakdown
Columbia's Unified Development Code, in Boone County, ties its outdoor-lighting standards to the IESNA Lighting Handbook and requires shielding for brighter fixtures citywide. Section 29-4.5(d)(5) requires that any light source or lamp emitting more than 900 lumens, the output of a 13-watt compact fluorescent or 60-watt incandescent bulb, be concealed or shielded with an IESNA full cut-off style fixture, with the beam angle not exceeding 90 degrees, to minimize glare and unnecessary light diffusion onto adjacent property. The rule applies to new construction and replacement lighting structures installed after December 4, 2006.
Violations & Fines
Installing an unshielded fixture above the 900-lumen threshold can be flagged during the building-permit lighting-plan review or after a complaint, and the city can require the fixture retrofitted with full cutoff shielding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Columbia require dark-sky fixtures for all outdoor lights?
What's a 'full cut-off' fixture under Columbia's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia
Compare Columbia to another location·View the Missouri outdoor lighting overview
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