Taylor, TX Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

7 opens by declaring that dark skies are a key part of Taylor's charm, and that the lighting standards exist to preserve those skies and promote a future dark sky community. 1, reaches public and private lighting anywhere inside the city limits, and reaches into the extraterritorial jurisdiction only for lighting tied to a subdivision application. 2: lighting equipment required by law on motor vehicles, and lighting needed for the safe take-off and landing of aircraft. 3, makes it an offense to install outdoor lighting contrary to the article, to violate the terms of a lighting permit, or to install lighting without a permit once the cumulative lumen output of all lights installed within any 90-day period exceeds 2,500 lumens.

5 require commercial property to come into full compliance within ten years of the Code's adoption date, or of an annexation date for property later added to the city, and a purchaser who buys within that ten-year window may request a further three-year extension. New Neighborhood and Employment Center plans must also submit a public lighting plan meeting the Engineering Manual's dark-sky standards. The Code was adopted by Ordinance 2024-41 and revised September 12, 2024.