Kootenai County has no comprehensive dark-sky ordinance. The only county lighting standard applies to permitted outdoor recreational facilities, which must be downward-directed and shielded so they cause no glare on public rights-of-way or adjacent properties.
Kootenai County has not adopted a countywide dark-sky lighting code like some resort Idaho cities (for example, Ketchum or Driggs). The Land Use and Development Code's outdoor lighting requirement, LUDC 8.5.203, is narrow: it governs lighting for permitted recreational uses, requiring that such lighting be downward directed and screened so it produces no glare on public rights-of-way or adjacent properties. Standalone lighting for an outdoor recreational facility requires a special notice permit in several zones. There is no general dark-sky or full-cutoff requirement for ordinary homes in the unincorporated county; residents concerned about a neighbor's lighting should check any subdivision covenants or contact Community Development.
Recreational lighting installed without required screening or permits is a code violation; enforcement follows the land use code procedures.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kootenai County, ID
Kootenai County has no ordinance banning backyard composting; home composting of yard and food scraps is allowed. Compost must not become a nuisance (odor, v...
Kootenai County, ID
Kootenai County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on residential lots. Standard site rules still apply near water: replacin...
Kootenai County, ID
Kootenai County does not require or prohibit native-plant landscaping generally, but along the shoreline it actively encourages native vegetation: the county...
Kootenai County, ID
Kootenai County has no ordinance banning rain barrels. Rainwater collection in Idaho is governed by state water law: Idaho allows collecting rainwater and di...
Kootenai County, ID
Kootenai County itself sets no countywide lawn-watering schedule. Outdoor watering limits, if any, come from your city or your water/irrigation provider. Und...
Kootenai County, ID
Idaho law makes weed control mandatory: every landowner must control noxious weeds on their property at their own cost (Idaho Code 22-2407). Kootenai County'...
See how Kootenai County's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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