Despite sitting beside Walt Disney World and the dark Kissimmee chain-of-lakes, Osceola County's Land Development Code expressly states 'Dark Sky principles are not required.' Instead it controls glare and light spill: lighting must not create light pollution or bleed onto neighbors.
LDC Sec. 4.7.11 (Street Lighting and Development Lighting) sets the county's lighting intent: appropriate lighting is desirable, but lighting that is too bright creates glare and light pollution. The code notably declares that Dark Sky principles are not required — so Osceola County is not a certified dark-sky community. It does, however, mandate practical controls: full-spectrum light, downward-directed fixtures in urban centers, canopy-recessed lens covers, an 18-foot pole-height cap near low-density residential, and photometric review for non-single-family projects. Low-pressure sodium (unnatural-spectrum) lighting is prohibited. These standards apply in unincorporated Osceola County; Kissimmee/St. Cloud set their own.
Lighting plans that fail photometric or fixture standards can be denied at Site Development Plan review; violations are enforced by Osceola County Code Enforcement under Chapter 7.
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See how Kissimmee's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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