Bannock County, ID Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Bannock County Code § 17.52.480(B)(2) requires every outdoor light on private land, in every zoning district, to be shielded so it directs light away from all adjacent properties, and the code singles out land developed with residential uses for the strongest protection. This general light-trespass rule sits alongside the county's district-specific buffering standards: where a commercial or industrial use is built next to a residential use, other provisions of Chapter 17.52 covering development near residential land separately require that lighting on the nonresidential site stay at or below 15 feet in height and be directed away from the residences it borders.

Fixtures throughout the county must also meet the shielding hardware standard in 17.52.480(B)(5): any luminaire mounted on a pole, stand, or building needs a shield, an adjustable reflector, and a diffuser that does not protrude past the fixture, which keeps the light source itself from being visible, and therefore glaring, from a neighbor's yard. Anyone installing or changing lighting on a commercial, industrial, institutional, or multi-family site must submit a lighting plan to Planning and Development Services showing fixture location, height and dimensions for staff approval before installation, under 17.52.480(C); only single-family and two-family homes are exempt. The county also encourages, without mandating, limiting lighting hours to conserve energy and reduce trespass overnight, under 17.52.480(B)(9).