Buncombe County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Buncombe County's outdoor lighting standards, adopted under Ordinance No. 12-01-13 and codified at Code Sec. 78-668, apply to all new commercial, industrial, public and residential development, every new dusk-to-dawn utility or security light, and all new street lighting; lights installed before the ordinance are treated as legal nonconforming uses under Sec. 78-657 unless a canopy is renovated past 50 percent of its value or a full assembly of fixtures is replaced. Lighting for single-family residential use is exempt from the shielding standard, but dusk-to-dawn utility and security lights on houses are not: those still must meet Sec.

78-668(e)(5)'s 9,500-lumen cap, 25-foot maximum mounting height, and full cutoff fixture requirement. The county bans search lights and laser-source lights except under temporary event permits, any light oriented upward, fixtures that could be mistaken for a traffic signal, and strings of lights with bulbs over 45 lumens outside of seasonal decorations. Under subsection (e)(2), every permanently installed luminaire must be a full cutoff or cutoff fixture, and full cutoff design is mandatory once a fixture exceeds 1,250 lumens. Accent and facade lighting must aim downward at the building face, with low-wattage shielded fixtures placed close to the wall to avoid reflected glare.

LED fixtures are capped at 4,300 degrees Kelvin. Anyone proposing permanent outdoor lighting must submit a lighting plan sealed by a licensed engineer with the zoning certificate of compliance application, including a point-by-point footcandle printout and fixture specification sheets, though the zoning administrator may waive the plan if compliance is otherwise demonstrated.