Walton County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Full-cutoff trigger
- 2+ foot-candles on non-residential property
- New development
- Low-pressure sodium lighting required, unroofed areas
- Curfew
- Lights above 2 fc off after 11:00 p.m.
- Overlay area
- Military Influence Overlay District near Eglin AFB
- Max fine
- $500 per violation before the Special Magistrate
Summary
In the Military Influence Overlay District near Eglin Air Force Base, unincorporated Walton County requires low-pressure sodium lighting for all new outdoor, unroofed development and mandates full-cutoff fixtures, ones that emit no light above 90 degrees at any lateral angle, on any non-residential property whose outdoor lighting reaches two foot-candles or more, to stop glare and sky glow from reaching the base.
D.General Lighting Standards. These general lighting standards do not apply to street lights maintained and/or operated by an electric utility or municipal entity.(1)The use of low-pressure sodium (LPS) lighting for outdoor, unroofed areas shall be required for all new development. ... F.Non-Residential Lighting Standards— ... General. These standards do not apply to street lights maintained and or operated by an electric utility or governmental entity.(1)All outdoor lighting installed on any non-residential property and which includes or exceeds two (2) foot-candles shall be full cutoff fixtures (no light output emitted above 90 degrees at any lateral angle around the fixture).
Full Breakdown
08 of the Walton County Land Development Code, Eglin Air Force Base Compatible Lighting, is the county's dark-sky-style shielding ordinance for the Military Influence Overlay District (MIOD) that surrounds the base's Small Area Study Area. Subsection D's General Lighting Standards require low-pressure sodium (LPS) lighting for all new development in outdoor, unroofed areas, and within the MIOD's Impulse Area Subzone every outdoor light, including headlights from vehicles on streets, driveways, and parking areas, must be fully screened from the Eglin Reservation by fencing, structures, or landscaping.
Subsection F's Non-Residential Lighting Standards then require full-cutoff fixtures, meaning no light output above 90 degrees at any lateral angle around the fixture, on any non-residential property whose outdoor lighting equals or exceeds two foot-candles, with the fixture's full-cutoff status verified by manufacturer specifications approved by Walton County Planning and Development Services before a construction permit issues. except for security lighting. Luminaires lawfully installed before the March 12, 2019 effective date keep legal nonconforming status until altered beyond half their replacement value.
Violations & Fines
Non-cutoff or unshielded outdoor lighting on MIOD property, or a failure to switch to low-pressure sodium fixtures on new development, is enforced under the Land Development Code's Chapter VII procedures: Planning and Development Services or a Code Enforcement Officer issues a notice of violation with a cure period, and an uncorrected violation is cited for a civil fine of up to $500.00 per violation before the Special Magistrate, plus administrative costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Walton County require dark-sky shielded lighting fixtures?
What counts as a full-cutoff fixture under this rule?
Are there nighttime lighting curfews in the overlay district?
Do these dark-sky rules apply outside the Eglin overlay district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walton County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Walton County to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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