Alamance County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

The glare standard sits in Section 6.5.3(K), the same 'Lighting' subsection of UDO Chapter 6.5, Heavy Industrial Development, that Alamance County adopted to control the 'objectionable levels of aesthetic impact, traffic, noise, odors, vibrations, fumes, light, smoke' these uses can create for adjacent land (Section 6.5.1). Unlike the fixture-brand encouragement in the same clause, this half is mandatory: access ways, walkways and parking areas 'shall be lighted adequately by lighting fixtures which shall be so installed as to protect the street and neighboring properties from direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind.' The requirement reaches only the Class I, II and III regulated industries listed in Section 6.5.2, such as landfills, asphalt plants, chemical manufacturing, mining and metal recycling; agricultural and residential uses are exempt by right.

Compliance is checked at the permit stage: Appendix E requires the site plan for an Intent-to-Construct Industrial Development Permit to include 'an exterior lighting plan showing locations of all lighting and proposed lighting fixtures,' and applicants must first hold a pre-application meeting with Planning Staff at least 14 days before filing, followed by a public hearing before the Planning Board under Section 6.5.4. The Class I-III permit application fee is $350, with a $50 renewal fee (Appendix G). A parallel glare-protection clause under Section 6.8(H) applies the same standard to solar energy systems, but general residential and commercial development outside these regulated use categories carries no glare-protection standard in this UDO.