Jacksonville, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Rather than one dark-sky ordinance, Jacksonville's Zoning Code builds lighting limits into the performance standards for specific commercial uses in Sec. 401. For filling and service stations, (k)(17) bans sag lenses, drop lenses and convex lenses outright because they scatter light past the property line, and caps canopy fascias from being transparent, reflective or ringed in unshielded bulbs. 0 foot-candle abutting other non-residential property. Lamp sources in parking and pedestrian areas must be metal halide, compact fluorescent or LED, and parking-lot poles cannot exceed 21 feet above ground level.

An exterior lighting design plan, including a photometric plan and pole and fixture schedules, must go to the Planning and Development Department for review before the standards can be verified. 5 foot-candles. A lighting site plan showing estimated illumination levels must be submitted with the site plan review for the car wash. Both provisions sit inside the same broad Sec. 401 performance-standards section that also regulates dozens of other specific land uses, so a project not on that list is not automatically bound by these particular foot-candle numbers.