Lauderhill, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Max color temperature
- 3,000 Kelvins
- Shielding
- Fully shielded fixtures required
- Exception authority
- City Manager via site plan review
- Exception categories
- Sports lighting, entertainment districts, extraordinary cases
- Governing section
- Schedule P, Sec. 8, Lighting Standards
- Reference standard
- International Dark Sky Association guidelines
Summary
Schedule P's Sec. 8 lighting standards require all outdoor lighting in new development and redevelopment to carry a color temperature no higher than 3,000 Kelvins and be fully shielded, following International Dark Sky Association guidance. The City Manager can grant exceptions through site plan review for sports lighting, entertainment districts and other extraordinary circumstances.
The City of Lauderhill strives to adhere to lighting guidelines established by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). The guidelines outline ways to preserve and protect the night sky. ... As an added standard recommended by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) regulations, all outdoor lighting shall have a color temperature of no more than three thousand (3,000) Kelvins and be fully shielded. Exceptions to said requirement may be granted by process of site plan review for sports lighting, special entertainment districts, and other extraordinary circumstances with the approval of the City Manager.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 8 opens by stating the City of Lauderhill strives to adhere to lighting guidelines from the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), which outline ways to preserve and protect the night sky, and urges new development and amendments to existing development to use Dark Sky compliant fixtures. The section then converts that goal into a binding numeric rule: all outdoor lighting shall have a color temperature of no more than three thousand (3,000) Kelvins and be fully shielded. Exceptions require site plan review approval by the City Manager and are limited to sports lighting, special entertainment districts, and other extraordinary circumstances.
The same Sec. 8 sets suggested minimum illumination levels in foot-candles for other site elements, such as 1.0 foot-candle at intersections and parking lots and 0.6 foot-candle on sidewalks, and recommends high-pressure sodium for streets and parking lots while steering metal halide toward high-pedestrian plazas because of its truer color rendition. Because the color-temperature and shielding rule sits in Schedule P's Sec. 8, it applies wherever Schedule P's Sec. 2 triggers apply. Site plan and Community Appearance Committee reviewers check fixture cut sheets for shielding and Kelvin rating before approving outdoor lighting plans for qualifying projects.
Violations & Fines
A lighting plan that specifies fixtures above 3,000 Kelvins or without full cutoff shielding does not meet Sec. 8, and Planning and Zoning can withhold site plan or Community Appearance Committee approval until the fixture schedule is corrected. Only the City Manager, acting through site plan review, can approve an exception for sports lighting, an entertainment district, or another extraordinary circumstance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What outdoor lighting standard does Lauderhill require?
Can a project get an exception to the 3,000 Kelvin rule?
Does this lighting rule apply to every property in Lauderhill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lauderhill
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Lauderhill to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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How other cities in Broward County handle dark sky rules.