Light Trespass & Shielding
Outdoor Lighting
Rules preventing outdoor lights from shining onto neighboring homes, shielding and full-cutoff fixture requirements, aiming standards, and footcandle caps at the property line.
How Light Trespass & Shielding Rules Differ by Place
Lake County, CA: Lake County Light Trespass Rules
Heavy RestrictionsIn unincorporated Lake County, Section 41.8 of the Zoning Ordinance prohibits any unobstructed beam of light from being directed beyond a property's exterior lot line and requires all…
Madera, CA: Madera Industrial Zone Glare and Heat Ban
Heavy RestrictionsMadera's Industrial Park (IP) zoning bans glare and heat from crossing a lot line. Madera Municipal Code § 10-3.11.506(E) sets an absolute standard, not a numeric threshold: any glare…
Sonoma County, CA: Sonoma County Mountain Zone Light Trespass Limits
Heavy RestrictionsIn the Taylor/Sonoma/Mayacamas Mountains combining zone, exterior lights cannot spill onto adjacent properties or into the night sky. Total illuminance past the property line is capped…
Citrus Heights, CA: Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass
Few RestrictionsLight trespass onto neighboring properties in Citrus Heights is actionable under CHMC nuisance provisions and Civil Code §3479. Light shining directly into residential windows or…
Chatham County, GA: Light Trespass in Chatham County, GA: Shielding & Tybee Beach Rule
Few RestrictionsChatham County has no general light-trespass ordinance; spillover from a neighbor's lights is handled through zoning standards or nuisance law. On Tybee Island, beachfront fixtures…
Columbia County, GA: Columbia County Light Trespass Limits
Few RestrictionsColumbia County sets no foot-candle limit on residential outdoor lighting. Its only zoning light-trespass rule targets signs: sign illumination may not cast light onto adjacent…
Light Trespass & Shielding Rules by State
Statewide law governs this topic in many states. Each entry links to that state's full page.
Cities & Counties with Light Trespass & Shielding Rules
1024 locations
Alabama
California
Florida
Georgia
Tennessee
Other Outdoor Lighting Topics
Dark Sky Rules
Ordinances designed to reduce light pollution, including requirements for shielded fixtures, limits on brightness, and curfews for decorative lighting.
Billboard Lighting
Lighting standards for outdoor advertising, luminance limits, dwell time, sky-glow mitigation, and curfew hours after which billboards must dim or shut off.