Salt Lake City, UT Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- All residential zoning districts
- Core requirement
- Contain light/glare to own property
- Parking/loading lots
- Fixture not visible from abutting land
- Enforcement
- Planning Division, zoning code enforcement
Summary
In every residential zoning district, onsite lighting must be located, directed, or designed to contain light and glare to the property it's on: no spillover onto neighbors.
K. Lighting: On site lighting shall be located, directed or designed in such a manner as to contain and direct light and glare only to the property on which it is located.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Salt Lake City's zoning code doesn't set a lumens cap or Kelvin limit citywide, but it does mandate shielding: under the general provisions for all residential districts, onsite lighting fixtures must be positioned or designed so that light and glare stay on the property where the fixture sits, rather than washing onto adjacent yards or streets. Parking lots and loading berths citywide carry a parallel rule, any light source has to be shielded so it isn't directly visible from an abutting property or street. The Planning Division enforces this through zoning permit review and complaint-driven code enforcement.
Violations & Fines
Zoning enforcement issues a notice of violation requiring the fixture be re-aimed, shielded, or replaced; unresolved cases can be cited as a class B misdemeanor under the city's general zoning penalty provision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Salt Lake City require full-cutoff or dark-sky-certified fixtures citywide?
Are there stricter lighting caps anywhere in the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle dark sky rules.