Baltimore County, MD Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

There is no freestanding 'outdoor lighting' or 'dark sky' chapter in the Baltimore County Zoning Regulations. Instead, lighting-shielding duties are attached to specific uses. 8, which governs design standards for all off-street parking facilities in all zones. 3 requires that any fixture illuminating a parking facility be arranged to reflect light away from residential lots and public streets, and that light standards be protected from vehicular traffic by curbing or landscaping. A also requires a durable dustless surface, drainage, screening and landscaping consistent with the county's Landscape Manual, a minimum ten-foot setback from a public street right-of-way for nonresidential surface lots, and maintained striping.

d is capped at 18 feet in height and must point away from nearby residential zones when within 50 feet of one, and illuminated sign lighting under § 450 must be shaded or shielded so it does not cause glare on neighboring properties or motorists. 5 can also be required to replace existing fixtures specifically to reduce glare, light trespass and excessive illumination as a condition of that approval.