Huntsville, AL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- 15+ spaces or 5,000+ sq ft of PVA
- Property-line cap
- 1 footcandle at adjoining lot/roadway
- Pole height
- 30 ft max, unless PVA exceeds 25,000 sq ft
- Floodlight angle
- No more than 45 degrees from pole base
- Operating hours
- Lighting required dusk to dawn
- Max penalty
- $500 fine, 6 months jail, per day
Summary
Huntsville's zoning ordinance regulates glare and light spillover from parking and vehicular use areas rather than adopting a general residential dark-sky code. Section 71.6.2 requires every exterior PVA fixture to be shielded, aimed, and capped so light at an adjoining roadway or residential property line does not exceed one footcandle.
71.6. - PVA lighting requirements. A detailed lighting plan for all PVAs having 15 or more parking spaces or containing at least 5,000 square feet of PVA must be submitted with the construction and landscape plans. ... 71.6.2. All exterior lighting fixtures shall be: (1)Protected by a weather and vandal resistant covering;(2)Located and fitted with appropriate cutoffs, if necessary, to prevent the light level on any adjoining roadway or residential property line from exceeding one footcandle;(3)Aimed so that they do not exceed an angle of 45 degrees out from the base of the pole when using floodlights;(4)Installed on poles 30 feet or less in height, unless the PVA exceeds 25,000 square feet; in such cases, poles exceeding 30 feet, as measured from the finished grade to the bottom of the fixture, may be used if it is demonstrated that all the requirements of this section can be met; and(5)Shielded so as to prevent glare on adjacent properties and rights-of-way. 71.6.5. PVA lighting meeting the standards of [this] section 71.6. shall be utilized during all hours of operation between dusk and dawn.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
1: lamp type and manufacturer data, pole heights, fixture specifications and IES files, and point-to-point photometric calculations at ten-foot intervals, all stamped by a registered Alabama professional. 2 then sets the shielding standard itself: fixtures must carry a weather- and vandal-resistant covering, be fitted with cutoffs so the light level at an adjoining roadway or residential property line never exceeds one footcandle, be aimed no more than 45 degrees from the base of the pole when floodlights are used, sit on poles of 30 feet or less (taller poles allowed only on PVAs over 25,000 square feet if all requirements are still met), and be shielded to prevent glare on adjacent properties and rights-of-way.
3 layers on illumination tables: 1 footcandle minimum with a 10:1 uniformity ratio for surface PVAs, up to 5 footcandles for parking garages, and specified light-loss factors by lamp type (metal halide, high-pressure sodium, mercury vapor, LED). 4 bars a certificate of occupancy until the lighting is installed and the design professional certifies compliance by letter; PVAs under 6,000 square feet need that letter only if the city requests it. 5 requires the approved lighting to run every hour of operation between dusk and dawn. The zoning administrator enforces these standards under Article 91, with plan review tied to building permit and certificate-of-occupancy approval.
Violations & Fines
Operating a PVA whose lighting was never certified, or that exceeds the one-footcandle spillover cap at a property line, is a zoning ordinance violation under Section 91.6: a fine of up to $500 plus court costs, and up to six months in the city jail, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense. Orders from the zoning administrator may be appealed to the Board of Adjustment and, from there, to circuit court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Huntsville limit glare from parking lot lights onto neighboring homes?
How tall can a parking lot light pole be in Huntsville?
Who reviews a Huntsville parking lot lighting plan before it's built?
What happens if a Huntsville business ignores the lighting glare cap?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Huntsville
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Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Madison County handle dark sky rules.