Roanoke, VA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Section 36.2-625 is the working standard for Roanoke's outdoor lighting division. Subsection (a) sets four general rules. Every fixture must be fully shielded, or located, aimed and shielded, so it does not glare onto abutting lots or streets and keeps spill light from climbing upward or crossing a lot line. No fixture can shine directly into a neighbor's dwelling unit, a building on an adjacent lot or an abutting street, and the arc tube cannot be visible at the property line. Electrical feeds to lighting standards go underground, not overhead. Building-mounted uplighting is allowed only where an overhanging architectural element can functionally contain or limit the light beyond the roof.

Subsection (b) sets mounting heights. In all residential districts, the MX Mixed Use District and the IN Institutional District, a pole must sit at least 10 feet from any lot line and cannot exceed 18 feet, measured from the lowest light-emitting part of the fixture to the adjacent grade. In every other district the ceiling is 35 feet, and any pole within 30 feet of an abutting residentially zoned lot needs a house shield on the side facing that lot. Any building-mounted light must be mounted below the roof line.

The standards apply when lighting is installed or replaced, including a change in fixture type, height or location, in connection with a basic or comprehensive development plan, a new light support structure over 8 feet tall, new flood or spot lights on existing structures in residential districts, or new fixtures on existing structures in nonresidential districts (Section 36.2-621). Routine maintenance such as changing lamps, ballasts or lenses is not replacement. Section 36.2-620 states the purpose: controlling light trespass and glare in line with the City's Comprehensive Plan policy of reducing light pollution, particularly in residential neighborhoods.

Section 36.2-622 exempts specific lighting, including illuminated signs governed by Section 36.2-666, landscape lighting two feet or less in height, motion-sensor security lighting that runs 15 minutes or less, temporary holiday and construction lighting, submerged pool lighting and FAA-required lighting. Section 36.2-624 requires a lighting plan with the application, showing fixture locations, mounting heights, manufacturer cut sheets and building elevations.