Virginia has no statewide dark-sky law, so Norfolk's outdoor lighting rules come from its 2018 Zoning Ordinance. New commercial and multifamily projects must use shielded, downward-directed fixtures and limit glare and spillover onto neighboring property.
There is no Virginia statewide dark-sky statute, so outdoor lighting in Norfolk is governed by the city's Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 47,116, effective March 1, 2018) rather than state law. The ordinance's lighting standards apply mainly to new and expanded commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily development, requiring fixtures to be shielded and directed downward, capping pole heights for parking areas, and limiting light spillover at property lines to protect adjacent homes. Single-family homes face lighter requirements. Because the standards attach to site-plan and development review, they are applied by the Department of City Planning and the zoning administrator when a project is approved, not retroactively to existing porch or yard lights.
Non-compliant lighting on a reviewed project draws a correction notice from Norfolk's zoning administrator, and a fixture may have to be reshielded, lowered, or replaced. Unresolved violations can hold up site-plan sign-off or the certificate of occupancy.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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