Seattle Municipal Code regulates outdoor lighting through zoning standards in §23.45 (residential) and §23.47A (commercial). Fully-shielded fixtures are required on new commercial installations, light trespass is capped at 0.5 foot-candles at residential lines, and recent rules cap color temperature at 3000K. Seattle works with King County on regional dark-sky alignment.
Seattle's outdoor lighting standards are distributed across the Seattle Municipal Code rather than a single dark-sky chapter. SMC §23.45.512 governs residential outdoor lighting, and §23.47A.014 covers neighborhood commercial. All new commercial outdoor luminaires must be fully shielded so no light is emitted above the horizontal plane, and a 2022 amendment caps new LED color temperature at 3000 Kelvin. Light trespass onto adjacent residential property is capped at 0.5 foot-candles measured at the property line. Mounting heights are restricted to 16 feet in residential and 30 feet in commercial. Seattle is not IDA-certified — sky-glow from the metro area is significant — but the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections coordinates with King County Parks and the Washington Dark Sky Project to support nearby IDA-recognized sites like Goldendale Observatory State Park. Sports field, hospital, and waterfront lighting have specific glare-control requirements. Houseboat and marina lighting on Lake Union has additional rules to protect aquatic wildlife.
Violations are Class 1 civil infractions under SMC §23.90, starting at $150 per fixture and escalating to $500 for continuing violations. SDCI can require retrofit as a permit condition or Certificate of Occupancy requirement.
Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in King County.
See how other cities in King County handle dark sky rules.
See how Seattle's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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