Dorchester County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

3 of the Zoning and Land Development Standards requires exterior site lighting countywide to be arranged so it is not detrimental to adjacent properties or the traveling public. Under subsection (a), Height, any light source not attached to an occupiable building may be elevated no more than fifteen feet (15') above finished grade. ; uses that federal or state law requires to be illuminated above 15 feet; single-family residential and manufactured home sites; and large vehicle-parking fields, which may use interior poles up to 30 feet with lower 15-foot perimeter fixtures.

The sky-glow rule sits in subsection (b), Intensity, item (5): light sources shall not be focused or directed into the sky unless required by law. Only four narrow exceptions apply: low-voltage, low-intensity architectural and landscaping accent lighting (including public monuments), illumination of government flags, underwater illumination of swimming pools and water features, and search lights or other public-safety functions. Item (7) of the same subsection also caps illumination under fueling-station and vehicle canopies at thirty (30) foot-candles average horizontal illumination, and item (6) requires cut-off fixtures on freestanding elevated lights serving vehicle service, parking, and circulation areas, with canopy fixtures fully recessed so the lamp itself is not exposed skyward.