Lexington County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

53, Limitation of Glare, part of the Light and Glare standards adopted in full by Ord. No. 23-17 on June 25, 2024, requires that any land use activity producing glare from a non-mobile source, again specifically including the storage of inoperable vehicles under outdoor lighting, be developed so that the glare is not directed into a Restrictive Development District, across the protected property line of an adjacent grandfathered residential use, or into the traffic lanes of a public road. The section names specific compliance measures: pole-mounted lighting fixtures must be located so the light points inward, away from the property lines, and all exterior lighting should be either shielded or recessed within an awning, eave, canopy, or similar feature to cut down excessive glare.

Where that is not enough, Sec. 53 authorizes additional measures including tinting, blinds, non-reflective backgrounds, or low-wattage lighting. 54, Prohibited Forms of Light and Glare, goes further and bans the use of flashing, blinking, strobe-type, or any pulsating or moving light outright in every district, though that ban is not meant to reach seasonal or cultural decorations such as holiday lighting. 51 definitions, is the disturbing quality of direct illumination which is an attractive nuisance to the eye to the point of causing discomfort when viewed, distinct from the numeric foot-candle illumination cap in Sec. 52. Enforcement runs through the Zoning Administrator as part of the zoning permitting process.