Arvada, CO Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 4-8-2-2(B) requires every exterior and outward-visible indoor fixture, except public street lighting, to be designed to minimize glare and to keep the maximum illumination at the property line within the limits set in Table 4-8-2-2A. 5 foot candles at an industrial line. For mixed-use development without a property line between differing uses, illumination is instead measured on a line halfway between the buildings. 1 also requires a 10-to-1 uniformity ratio and caps any single lamp at 16,000 lumens outside the IL and IG districts, or 20,000 lumens inside them.

2 sets maximum on-site light levels: 3 foot candles in pedestrian areas away from parking, 8 foot candles at multifamily entries and in parking lots, and 20 foot candles under fuel-station and drive-through canopies. Outdoor recreation lighting under Section 4-8-2-5(C) uses its own, more permissive spillover limits: half a foot candle onto adjacent single-family, duplex, multiplex or townhome property, 1 foot candle onto multifamily property, and 2 foot candles onto non-residential property, measured horizontally at the line, with buffering required to bring a field into compliance.

Decorative lighting is separately capped under Section 4-8-2-2(I): it must be directed away from any residential use within 50 feet of the mounted façade and shielded so the lamp itself is not visible from adjacent property.