Chapel Hill's Land Use Management Ordinance Section 5.11 sets real outdoor-lighting standards: fixtures shielded to avoid glare and light spill, non-cutoff lights mounted no higher than 15 feet and full-cutoff lights no higher than 35 feet. North Carolina has no statewide dark-sky law.
There is no statewide residential dark-sky mandate in North Carolina, so local ordinances control. Chapel Hill's LUMO Section 5.11 requires outdoor lighting around buildings, parking, walkways, and signs to be shielded or arranged so it does not create glare in the right-of-way or a nuisance for neighbors. Mounting heights are capped at 15 feet for non-cutoff fixtures and 35 feet for full-cutoff fixtures. Sports-field lights must carry glare-control louvers or shields aimed at the play area. Carrboro's land-use ordinance and the Orange County UDO carry parallel lighting and glare standards for new development. Single- and two-family homes face the anti-glare rule but not the full lighting-plan submittal.
Non-compliant fixtures in Chapel Hill draw a correction notice through the LUMO Zoning Compliance process; unresolved violations block permits and accrue civil penalties. Commercial projects must submit a sealed lighting plan before approval.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Orange County, NC
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Orange County, NC
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Orange County, NC
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Orange County, NC
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See how Orange County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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