Kent, WA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- KCC 15.08.050(D)(3)
- Rule
- No glare visible at property line
- Applies to
- All zoning districts citywide
- Exemption
- Signs and advertising building floodlighting
- Nonconforming grace period
- Three years to conform
- Max penalty
- $5,000 fine or 12 months jail
- Enforced by
- Community development & code enforcement officers
Summary
Kent's citywide performance standards forbid glare, whether from floodlights or from high-temperature processes like welding, that is visible beyond a property's lot lines in any zoning district. KCC 15.08.050(D)(3) treats glare as a dangerous or objectionable land-use element, exempting only signs and advertising floodlighting on buildings. Uses predating the rule get three years to conform before enforcement applies.
3. Glare. No direct or sky-reflected glare, whether from floodlights or from high temperature processes such as combustion or welding or otherwise, so as to be visible at the points of measurement specified in subsection (C) of this section shall be permitted. This restriction shall not apply to signs or floodlighting of buildings for advertising or protection otherwise permitted by the provisions of this title.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4542, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
050(A)). " Those points of measurement, set by subsection (C), are the property or lot lines in every district, or the 50-foot buffer-zone setback line for a hazardous-substance land-use facility. The code carves out one exception: the glare ban "shall not apply to signs or floodlighting of buildings for advertising or protection otherwise permitted by the provisions of this title," so an illuminated sign or a security floodlight authorized elsewhere in Title 15 is not a violation even if visible off-site. 050(B) before they must conform.
The community development department administers the standard through site plan and building permit review, and the city's code enforcement officers can issue a correction notice or notice of violation against a property whose outdoor lighting throws glare past its lot line.
Violations & Fines
Because Title 15 sets no separate penalty for a glare violation, KCC 1.01.140 governs: any violation of the code is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, up to twelve months' imprisonment, or both, with each day the glare continues counted as a separate violation. The city can also pursue abatement, removal or other civil remedies in addition to, not instead of, that criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kent regulate outdoor lighting glare?
Are signs or building floodlights exempt from the glare rule?
What happens if a Kent property violates the glare standard?
Does an older building get time to fix a glare problem?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
Compare Kent to another location·View the Washington outdoor lighting overview
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Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle dark sky rules.