Independence, MO Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Independence's outdoor lighting standards (UDO § 14-508) go beyond keeping light off the neighbor's yard: Section 14-508-04 bans flashing, revolving or intermittent exterior lighting visible from any lot line or street, and separately bans "high intensity light beams, such as outdoor searchlights, lasers or strobe lights." Every outdoor fixture subject to the article, meaning anything installed after July 1, 2009 on a site that requires special use or site plan approval, must carry a full cut-off lens (§ 14-508-05-A); fixtures mounted under gas station canopies must instead be fully recessed with a flat, flush translucent lens (§ 14-508-05-B).

Fixture-type and placement rules get specific by use. Parking lot lights must be metal halide or LED, mounted at 90 degrees to the ground on a non-adjustable pole, capped at 20 feet near residential districts and 30 feet elsewhere, limited to 250 watts per head next to residential uses (400 watts next to commercial, office or industrial uses), restricted to single-headed poles near residential districts, with the total aggregate wattage on a multi-head pole capped at 1,600 watts, and arranged so illumination stays within a 6:1 average-to-minimum and 20:1 maximum-to-minimum uniformity ratio (§ 14-508-07). Wall-mounted fixtures must likewise be full cut-off, metal halide, capped at 150 watts, and mounted no higher than the roofline, or 15 feet if the wall is within 100 feet of a residential use (§ 14-508-08). Outdoor recreation lighting (ballfields, courts) is exempt from these fixture rules but must instead set poles back at least one foot per foot of pole height, or 50 feet, whichever is less, from residential lot lines (§ 14-508-09). Any installation tied to a special use or site plan must submit a photometric plan showing fixture specs and predicted footcandle levels on a 20-by-20-foot grid for Community Development Director review (§ 14-508-10).