Rogers's Unified Development Code (Sec. 5.7) sets dark-sky-style lighting standards: fixtures must be full cut-off, shielded downward, with the light source not visible off-site, and illumination is capped at 2 footcandles at the property line. Detached and attached houses are exempt, among other listed types. Arkansas has no statewide lighting code, so these local rules control.
Rogers regulates outdoor lighting in Section 5.7 of its Unified Development Code. The core dark-sky provision (Sec. 5.7.4) requires that fixtures 'must be full cut-off shielded downward and the light source shall not be visible from off-site,' and that 'fixtures must be evenly distributed across the site being illuminated.' Full-cutoff shielding directs light down rather than up or sideways, reducing sky glow and glare — the central goal of dark-sky design. The same standard limits spillover, providing that illumination 'shall not exceed 2 footcandles at the property line.' Prohibited lighting (Sec. 5.7.5) includes devices 'that flash, blink, fluctuate or that are animated.' The ordinance lists numerous exemptions (Sec. 5.7.3), including detached and attached houses, sports and recreational field lighting, airport navigation lights, seasonal decorations, motion-sensor security lighting (limited duration), emergency lighting, flag illumination, street lighting, pedestrian walkway lighting, architectural and landscape lighting aimed only at the feature, and 'strands of individual, low-intensity white decorative lights' illuminating patios, decks, and similar spaces. Because single-family homes are exempt, the full-cutoff and footcandle standards apply primarily to nonresidential and larger multi-family sites. Arkansas does not impose a statewide outdoor-lighting or dark-sky code, so the Rogers UDC standards govern. Property owners and developers should confirm fixture shielding, mounting height, and property-line light levels with Rogers Community Development during site-plan review.
Nonresidential or large-site lighting that is not full-cutoff/shielded, that is visible off-site, that exceeds 2 footcandles at the property line, or that flashes or is animated can be cited under Sec. 5.7 and required to be reshielded, aimed, or replaced as part of code compliance or site-plan approval.
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