Salt Lake County, UT Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies in
- Foothills and Canyons Overlay Zone only
- Fixture rule
- Fully shielded luminaires directed downward
- Public rec. pole cap
- 60 feet
- Private rec. pole cap
- 18 feet
- Rec. poles also need
- Site plan review
Summary
Outdoor lighting in Salt Lake County's Foothills and Canyons Overlay Zone must point down: light poles and building-mounted fixtures need fully shielded luminaires directed downward under Table 19.72.1(X) of § 19.72.170. The lone exception is outdoor recreational facility lighting, capped at sixty feet for public facilities and eighteen feet on private residential property.
Light poles for public outdoor recreational facilities are limited to sixty feet in height. Light poles for outdoor recreational facilities on private residential property are limited to eighteen feet in height. Both require site plan review which may require restrictions on locations and hours of illumination based upon impacts on adjoining properties. X With the exception of light poles for outdoor recreational facilities, lights poles, and building-mounted fixtures shall be designed with fully shielded luminaires directed downward. FIGURE 19.72.23: SHIELDED LIGHTING
(Ord. No. 1929, § III, 9-17-2024; Ord. No. 1808, § I, 3-14-2017)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
The county's FCOZ lighting standard works fixture by fixture. 1 requires that, with the exception of light poles for outdoor recreational facilities, light poles and building-mounted fixtures be designed with fully shielded luminaires directed downward. 23 in the code illustrates the shielded design. The recreational exception has its own limits. Light poles for public outdoor recreational facilities may not exceed sixty feet in height. Light poles for outdoor recreational facilities on private residential property, such as a home sport court, are limited to eighteen feet.
Neither goes up as of right: both categories require site plan review, and through that review the county may impose restrictions on the locations and the hours of illumination based upon impacts on adjoining properties. The standard was amended by Ordinance 1929 in 2024 and traces to Ordinance 1808 from 2017.
Violations & Fines
Non-shielded or upward-directed fixtures do not meet the Table 19.72.1(X) standard and are rejected at site plan review. Recreational light poles require site plan review in both categories, and the county may restrict their locations and hours of illumination based on impacts on adjoining properties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do outdoor lights need shields in the Salt Lake County canyon overlay zone?
How tall can a light pole be for a home sport court in the FCOZ?
Can the county limit when recreational lights are on?
Where does this lighting rule apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
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