Columbia, SC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Columbia's dark-sky standard is a flat design mandate, not a discretionary guideline: all exterior luminaries, including security lighting, shall be full cut-off fixtures that are directed downward, and in no case shall lighting be directed above a horizontal plane through the lighting fixture. That means the light source and glass cannot be visible from an angle above horizontal, ruling out old-style acorn globes, unshielded floodlights aimed sideways or up, and decorative post lights that expose the bulb. 9(e)(5): fixtures in residential districts other than MU-1/MU-2 are capped at 16 feet, MU-1, MU-2, and NAC district fixtures at 20 feet, most Activity and Corridor, Institutional and Campus, and Industrial district fixtures at 30 feet, and any fixture within 100 feet of a Residential district drops back to 16 feet regardless of the underlying district.

Athletic field lighting and street lighting are the only fixtures excused from the height table. Specific fixture types get their own shielding add-ons: wall packs must be fully shielded, true cut-off type, and no more than 100 watts; pedestrian bollard lamps must sit no higher than 4 feet and put out no more than 900 lumens per lamp; and canopy lighting must use a recessed or flush lens that produces a full cutoff distribution so it doesn't create glare off-site.