Lynnwood, WA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Article V of Chapter 8.40, the Unified Development Code's outdoor lighting article, states its purpose plainly at Lynnwood Municipal Code Section 8.40.0500(B): the city intends to reduce and minimize the impact of outdoor lighting on views of the night sky by minimizing glare, obtrusive light, and artificial sky glow and limiting outdoor lighting that is misdirected, excessive, or unnecessary. The article applies to new development requiring project review, to redevelopment that expands floor area or valuation, and to nonresidential or multifamily buildings that replace more than half of their existing fixtures.

Lynnwood enforces that purpose with a lighting-zone map. Every zoning district falls into Lighting Zone 1, 2 or 3 under Section 8.40.0530: LZ-1 covers single-family, low- and medium-density multifamily, manufactured home parks and low-use neighborhood parks; LZ-2 covers higher-density multifamily and neighborhood-oriented business districts; LZ-3 covers high-intensity commercial corridors, the Alderwood Mall area and light-industrial zones. Section 8.40.0560 then sets a hard lumen ceiling for each zone. Under the parking-space method, available to sites with 10 or fewer spaces, the cap is 490 lumens per space in LZ-1, 630 in LZ-2 and 840 in LZ-3. A hardscape-area method is available for any size of development, based on square footage of paved area instead.

Sites that exceed those caps or want unusually intense lighting, such as sports fields or construction lighting, need a special permit under Section 8.40.0550 and must show the design minimizes environmental and neighbor impact, including a project-specific curfew after which lighting must be reduced. Single-family residential lighting is exempt from the whole article, as are traffic signals, temporary emergency lighting and seasonal decorations.