Gulfport, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies in
- 49th Street Redevelopment Master Overlay District
- Cut-off angle
- no light above 40° below horizontal
- Site lighting wiring
- must be underground
- LWOD/TPOD lighting
- must be residential in scope
- Enforcement
- zoning misdemeanor, § 22-14.01
Summary
Within the 49th Street Redevelopment Master Overlay District, City Code § 22-5.16(j) requires every light fixture to be a cut-off type that stops direct illumination above 40 degrees below horizontal, so light can't beam outward or upward past that line; wiring for site lighting must also run underground.
(j)Lighting.(1)Lighting and light fixtures shall be part of an overall design plan and their design and placement appropriate to the building to which they will serve.(2)Light fixtures shall be designed to respect enhance and contribute to the architectural style, detailing and elements of a building with regard to color, material, size, scale and shape.(3)Lighting shall illuminate without glare.(4)Light fixtures shall be cut-off lights where direct illumination is cut-off above forty (40) degrees below horizontal.
Full Breakdown
16(b)), covering the CMUOD, LWOD and TPOD sub-areas. Its lighting subsection requires that fixtures be part of an overall design plan appropriate to the building they serve (j)(1), designed to complement the building's architectural style in color, material, size, scale and shape (j)(2), and that lighting illuminate without glare (j)(3). The cut-off standard in (j)(4) is the operative dark-sky rule: fixtures must be cut-off lights where direct illumination is cut off above 40 degrees below horizontal, preventing uplight and glare escaping the site. Electrical wiring serving site lighting must be installed underground (j)(6), and exterior lighting on properties within the LWOD and TPOD sub-areas must additionally be residential in scope, scale and design (j)(7), a tighter standard than elsewhere in the overlay. This cut-off requirement applies only inside the 49thMOD; Gulfport has no separate citywide dark-sky ordinance for the rest of the city. 16(g).
Violations & Fines
Installing a fixture that isn't cut-off, or that beams light above the 40-degree line, is a zoning violation inside the 49thMOD. It is a misdemeanor under § 22-14.01, with each day the fixture remains non-compliant a separate offense under § 22-14.02. The city council can also condition or deny site plan approval for the property under § 22-5.16(g) until the lighting is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Gulfport have a dark-sky lighting ordinance?
What kind of light fixture satisfies the cut-off requirement?
Are lighting rules different in the waterfront and transit parts of the overlay?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Gulfport to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pinellas County handle dark sky rules.