Manitou Springs, CO Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Manitou Springs adopted dark-sky lighting requirements as part of Chapter 18.03.4, Exterior Lighting, that apply to every residential and nonresidential development submitting a Development Plan under Chapter 18.06. Section 18.03.4.4.B requires all fixtures to be full cutoff, meaning they direct light downward and do not allow light to escape upward or sideways past the fixture housing; even a straight LED bulb swap into an existing fixture must add shielding to redirect the light downward and conceal the bulb itself. Section 18.03.4.4.E targets the color of the light, not just its direction: fixture lamps cannot exceed a color-temperature rating of 3,000 kelvin, the warmer end of the spectrum associated with reduced sky glow, in order to achieve dark sky compliance.

Section 18.03.4.4.F adds a timing control requirement, mandating automatic controls, such as timers, photo-sensitive controls, or a building automation system, that extinguish exterior lighting once daylight is sufficient. Together these three standards work with the separate prohibition in Section 18.03.4.7 on searchlights, lasers, and any single luminaire exceeding 20,000 lumens. Lighting already in place before the section's adoption is not grandfathered forever: Section 18.03.4.2.B requires it to be brought into compliance whenever the property files a new Development Plan application, and residential fixtures face additional wattage caps under Section 18.03.4.6.