Orange County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Property line limit
- 0.5 f.c. next to residential, 1.0 f.c. next to other uses
- Fixture type
- Cutoff only, no more than 1 percent of lumens above horizontal
- Light source
- White LED, CRI 70+, 3000K to 4000K, 30,000 lumens max
- Pole height
- 30 ft in parking lots, 15 ft in pedestrian areas
- Dimming
- About 50 percent reduction within one hour of closing
- Exempt uses
- Agricultural, single family, duplex, triplex, quadraplex
- Appeals
- Building Codes Board of Adjustments and Appeals
Summary
Orange County's exterior lighting article, Code sections 9-646 through 9-652, covers commercial and other non-exempt projects in the unincorporated county. Fixtures must be cutoff, light at the property line is capped at 0.5 footcandles beside homes and 1.0 beside other uses, non-residential lights drop about 50 percent within one hour of closing, and parking lot poles top out at 30 feet.
All light fixtures, including security lighting, shall be cutoff fixtures ... Luminaires shall not be physically or optically tilted. ... A cutoff fixture shall not have more than one (1) percent of lamp lumens above horizontal. Sag lenses, convex lenses, and drop lenses shall be prohibited. ... Illumination levels at the property line of the building or project shall not be more than 0.5 f.c. at any point when the building or project is located next to any residential use, and shall not be more than 1.0 f.c. when located next to any other use. ... Non-residential lighting shall be installed with time controls so that light levels are reduced not later than one hour after the close of operations to the minimum levels needed under the IES to ensure safety and security (approximately a fifty (50) percent reduction). ... the height of a pole-mounted outdoor lighting fixture (inclusive of the pole and light source/luminaire) shall be a maximum of thirty (30) feet above the finished grade within a parking lot, and a maximum of fifteen (15) feet within a nonvehicular pedestrian area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 128).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-647 applies the article to every building and project with exterior lighting except agricultural, single family residential, duplex, triplex and quadraplex uses. At religious institutions it reaches only paved parking areas, and IES standards govern unpaved parking. The Planning Division administers it, and section 9-646 states the goal: avoid hot spots, glare, obtrusive light, light pollution and light trespass.
A project starts with an exterior lighting plan under 9-649(a)(1): a photometric plan covering the whole parcel, pole, fixture and lamp cut sheets, lens descriptions and data tables, prepared by a licensed professional engineer who certifies compliance. Footcandle figures are maintained values calculated with a maintenance factor of at least 0.85.
Fixture rules sit in 9-649(a)(4). Every fixture, security lighting included, must be a cutoff fixture, meaning no more than one percent of lamp lumens above horizontal. Luminaires cannot be tilted, sag, convex and drop lenses are prohibited, and floodlights are barred except for a noncommercial industrial use where they are shielded against off-site spill. Building lighting is limited to wall washers or up-lights that produce no spill light or glare.
Subsection (b) sets the light source: white LED with a CRI of 70 or higher, a color temperature between 3000K and 4000K, and no more than 30,000 lumens per fixture.
At the property line, 9-649(a)(5) allows 0.5 f.c. beside a residential use and 1.0 f.c. beside any other use, with house side shielding on fixtures. Under (a)(6), non-residential lighting needs time controls that cut levels to the IES minimum, about 50 percent, no later than one hour after operations end.
Height under (b)(1) is measured from finished grade to the bottom of the fixture where light is emitted, and the limit counts the pole plus the luminaire: 30 feet in a parking lot, 15 feet in a nonvehicular pedestrian area.
Under (a)(7), once 50 percent or more of any lighting component is upgraded or replaced, the rest of the system must be brought into substantial compliance.
Violations & Fines
Article VI of this chapter prints no fine schedule for exterior lighting. The enforcement lever is permitting. Under 9-651 the county places a hold and issues no certificate of occupancy until a licensed engineer, architect or landscape architect certifies that the installed lighting performs in compliance with the approved plans. Tilted luminaires, sag lenses, floodlights or readings above 0.5 f.c. at a residential boundary fail that certification and stall occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Orange County's exterior lighting article apply to my house?
What bulb color and brightness does the county allow?
How tall can a parking lot light pole be?
Can I ask for an exception to the lighting standards?
What are the limits for gas station canopies, car dealerships and fire lanes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orange County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Orange County to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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