Gordon County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 4.02.01(C)(3)(m) of the Unified Land Development Code is the shielding rule for the New Echota Overlay District, which covers property east of Interstate 75 abutting or adjacent to State Highway 225, Craigtown Road, and Newtown Church Road. Exterior lighting must be architecturally compatible with the building style, material and colors and must be directed onto the site. Full cut-off fixtures are required to send light downward.

Several features are banned outright: roof lighting, down-lighting that washes building walls, illuminated awnings or canopies, searchlights, laser lights, and any flashing, moving, revolving, flickering or strobe light or light that changes intensity or color. Fixtures in parking lots or service areas cannot be mounted above 20 feet. Pedestrian-scaled accent lighting for building, landscape and sign features is permitted, and bollard fixtures no taller than 4 feet are encouraged in pedestrian areas. Permitted signs in the district cannot be internally illuminated, and service station canopy fixtures must be shielded so the lamp source is not visible and glare is not created.

The rule sits under the commercial development standards, so it excludes Rural and Residential Zoning Districts, farm or agricultural structures, and single-family dwellings and manufactured homes on an existing lot of record. The Resaca Battlefield Overlay District carries identical lighting text in Section 4.02.02(C)(3)(m). Its hillside rules in Section 4.02.02(C)(7)(h) add that all outdoor lights on slopes of 25 percent or more must have shielded fixtures that direct the light downward to eliminate scattered light and excessive glare, and light poles cannot exceed the height of surrounding buildings. Plans in the overlay go to a review panel of the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Director before permits issue.