Sumter County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Sec. 13-730(a)(2) sets a maximum light pole height of sixteen feet, including the base, for pedestrian areas, and thirty-five feet, including the base, for all other areas; a pole taller than thirty-five feet is not allowed unless approved through a development agreement with the county. Sec. 13-730(a)(3) then requires that all exterior lighting installations on covered development use concealed source fixtures, specifically cut-off type fixtures in which the lens does not project below the opaque section of the housing, and requires fixture styles to stay consistent across a site for both aesthetic and functional reasons.

These shielding and height rules apply wherever Sec. 13-730(a)(1) requires lighting in the first place: public streets, sidewalks and common areas in subdivisions; entrances to residential developments of more than fifty lots; entrances and exits of multifamily developments and buildings used by fifty or more people; and entrances, parking areas, driveways, sidewalks and pedestrian facilities of office, public, institutional and commercial development. Sec. 13-730(c) backs the shielding standard with a numeric floor and ceiling: Table 730A sets minimum and maximum foot-candles by area, for example five to ten foot-candles at building entrances and exits and one to ten foot-candles in parking areas, verified through a photometric plan prepared by a licensed electrical engineer.

Development Services reviews these photometric plans as part of site plan approval before a lighting installation is approved for a covered development in unincorporated Sumter County.