Apex, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing provision
- UDO Art. 8.6, Secs. 8.6.1-8.6.6
- Max mounting height
- 35 feet for full cutoff fixtures
- Color temperature cap
- 3,500 Kelvin maximum
- Applies to
- Site plans, not individual homes
- Codified
- July 27, 2021 (UDO)
Summary
Apex's Unified Development Ordinance requires site and subdivision plans to control glare and light spillover onto neighboring properties, capping fixture mounting heights and mandating shielding, though ordinary single-family home lighting outside a development plan is exempt.
Exterior lighting, such as that used in and around buildings, recreation areas, parking lots, and signs, shall be designed to prevent the excessive spillover of light onto adjacent properties. It shall also be designed to protect against glare onto public rights-of-way thereby impairing the vision of motorists and adversely impacting adjoining properties. All exterior lighting shall be shielded from adjacent properties by existing vegetation, thick evergreen vegetated buffers, berms, walls, or fences, and/or the use of directional lighting, lighting shields, special fixtures...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Apex's UDO Article 8.6 Exterior Lighting sets purpose language to 'curtail light pollution' and requires a lighting plan for any Site Plan or Nonresidential Master Subdivision Plan, with foot-candle caps by land use (Sec. 8.6.3), a 3,500 Kelvin color-temperature limit, and design standards (Sec. 8.6.4) requiring shielding, glare control, and a 35-foot mounting-height cap for full cutoff fixtures near residential properties. A certified final inspection is required before a certificate of occupancy issues. Ordinary individual residential lighting that isn't part of a development plan is exempt (Sec. 8.6.5), unless it's a Single-Family Recreational Use like a lit sport court. These standards, from the UDO's July 2021 codification, apply Town-wide including Apex's mapped extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant site lighting can hold up plan approval or a certificate of occupancy; the Planning Director may require shielding, reduced intensity, or an approved alternative-compliance lighting plan before sign-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Apex's lighting ordinance apply to my house?
How bright can parking lot lighting be in Apex?
Does the lighting rule apply outside Apex's town limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apex
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