Commerce City, CO Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

In Commerce City, outdoor lighting standards apply citywide except to existing single-family homes, under the Land Development Code's lighting division (Sec. 21-7700 through Sec. 21-7710). Any exterior fixture installed or altered after the code's adoption must be built with full shielding: Sec. 21-7702(1) requires that the light source not be visible beyond the property line and never visible from inside a neighboring residential dwelling. Freestanding fixtures are height-capped at 25 feet where a development abuts single-family residential property and 30 feet elsewhere under Sec. 21-7702(5).

Separately, Sec. 21-7709 bans several practices outright: searchlights and rotating beacons, blinking or flashing lights (except temporary holiday displays), aerial lasers, and any light source exceeding 60,000 lumens or 60,000 candelas of intensity in any direction. Illuminating an entire building is prohibited; only security lighting and city-authorized architectural accents are allowed. Roof-mounted lights are barred unless installed for security with motion detection and full shielding so the glare cannot be seen from the public right-of-way. Development applications must submit a lighting plan under Sec. 21-7701, and the city can require a photometric study at the applicant's expense if compliance is disputed under Sec.

21-7703. Lighting installed before the code's adoption may continue as legal nonconforming but cannot be altered to increase its nonconformance under Sec. 21-7710. Community Development reviews lighting plans during development review, and violations are handled through the compliance and enforcement procedures in Article X.