Beaufort County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 5.7.40 of the Community Development Code, Design Standards for Exterior Lighting, requires that "any light fixture shall be a cutoff luminaire whose source is completely concealed with opaque housing and shall not be visible from any street," a rule that reaches "lights on mounted poles, as well as architectural display and decorative lighting visible from the corridor," per Subsection B.1. Fixtures must also be mounted so "the cone of light is not directed at any property line of the site" (B.2). Only certain lamp types are allowed: "incandescent, fluorescent, metal halide, LED, mercury vapor or color corrected high-pressure sodium light," and every fixture on a site must use the same type (B.3), in "white or off-white (light yellow tones)" only (B.4).

Pole height is capped: "Lighting poles may not exceed a height of 20 feet, except for outdoor sports fields or performance areas" (B.5), which are separately allowed up to 80 feet under Section 5.7.50.C. Wall packs are restricted to secondary entrances for security, must be "fully shielded (e.g., true cutoff type bulb or light source not visible from off-site)" and aimed "vertically downward," limited to "1,000 lumens or less," with any wall-pack light visible off-site outright prohibited (B.6). Subsection A.8 separately bans "strobe, flashing, blinking, pulsing, and revolving lights."

These standards apply countywide under Section 5.7.20.A but exempt single-family attached, single-family detached, and duplex homes (Section 5.7.30), except for the barrier-island lighting standard in 5.7.40.A.6. Commercial, multifamily, and institutional projects must submit a lighting plan with their land development, Special Use Permit, or Certificate of Design Compliance application.