Salt Lake County, UT Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Streetlights in unincorporated Salt Lake County are a mix of County-owned fixtures maintained by Public Works and utility-owned fixtures operated by Rocky Mountain Power under tariff arrangements. New development is required to install streetlights meeting County standards, typically at intersections and at mid-block intervals of 250 to 400 feet depending on street classification. The County has adopted dark-sky friendly standards for public lighting including full-cutoff fixtures (IESNA shielding classification), 3000K or lower correlated color temperature LEDs, and power levels scaled to the street classification. Older high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor fixtures are being replaced with LEDs as part of a multi-year conversion program. Residents can report outages, damaged poles, or request new streetlights through the Salt Lake County 311 service or the Public Works website. For utility-maintained lights, the repair is coordinated with Rocky Mountain Power. New streetlight installation in existing neighborhoods typically requires a neighborhood request demonstrating community support and is evaluated based on crime statistics, traffic accident history, and pedestrian activity. Historically dim canyon and rural areas often have limited streetlighting to preserve dark-sky character, and residents there should not expect standard suburban lighting coverage. Banner poles, pedestrian-scale lighting in commercial centers, and decorative lighting in town centers are separately governed by applicable master plans.