Auburn, AL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 515 sets a hard numeric ceiling on light trespass rather than leaving glare to a case-by-case nuisance standard. The measurement point is the property line itself, not the interior of the lot generating the light: direct or indirect illumination measured at any property line adjoining a residential development cannot exceed one foot-candle, while a property line adjoining a nonresidential development gets a looser five foot-candle ceiling. That five-to-one ratio means a shopping center backing onto another commercial parcel has far more latitude than the same center backing onto a subdivision or apartment complex, which is exactly the situation along corridors near Auburn University where student housing sits next to retail and parking lots.

The limit covers 'light or glare from any operation' as well as lighting for parking areas and the external illumination of buildings and grounds, so it reaches security lighting and floodlights alike, not just parking-lot poles. Compliance is typically demonstrated with a photometric plan showing foot-candle readings at the property lines during site plan review by the Planning Department, and an inspector can take a field reading with a light meter if a neighbor complains after construction. The rule works together with the shielding requirement in the same section: a fixture can meet the numeric ceiling and still violate Section 515 if it is not also directed away from adjoining sidewalks and streets, and vice versa.