Monroe County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Land Development Code Section 114-160 sets the county's outdoor lighting height and shielding standard for the unincorporated Florida Keys. Fixtures other than those serving public athletic facilities are limited to 18 feet for noncutoff lights and 35 feet for cutoff lights, and all lighting must be shielded so it does not illuminate above a 45-degree angle toward the ground. Public athletic facility lighting may reach 70 feet, except little league fields outside designated public athletic facilities, which are capped at 60 feet at the Key Largo Community Park.

5 footcandles for cutoff lights, and requires a photometric lighting plan for nonresidential or three-or-more-unit multifamily development. Because Monroe County borders sea turtle nesting beaches, Section 114-163 adds stricter rules within 25 feet of any body of water: fixtures there must be cutoff type no higher than 18 feet, dock lighting must sit no higher than 48 inches above the decking, use long-wavelength light of 560 nanometers or greater, and red or green lighting is prohibited outright. Fixtures visible from a sea turtle nesting area must also comply with Section 12-116 of the Monroe County Code.

Section 114-164 requires nonconforming lighting to be brought into compliance to the greatest extent practicable whenever a property changes use, redevelops, or expands its development footprint, as determined case-by-case by the Planning Director. The current standards trace to Ordinance No. 006-2016 and were amended by Ordinance No. 024-2021 and Ordinance No. 028-2024.