Columbia County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Columbia County's zoning ordinance does not cap light crossing a residential property line with a foot-candle standard, so a neighbor's bright floodlight in unincorporated Evans or Martinez is generally not a zoning violation. The county's actual light-trespass language governs signs: sign illumination may not cast light directly upon adjacent properties or roadways, and no illuminated sign is allowed within 100 feet of any residential district or occupied dwelling. The Evans Town Center Overlay separately requires lighting that minimizes intrusion onto neighbors. For a residential glare dispute, a homeowner's realistic tools are a private nuisance claim and HOA covenants, which are common across the county's subdivisions.