Greenville County limits light trespass through its development standards. In the Environmentally Sensitive (ESD-PM) district, light trespass may measure no greater than 0.1 foot-candle at the property line with adjoining residential property, and general site lighting must use cutoff fixtures to reduce spillover.
The Greenville County Zoning Ordinance addresses light trespass through land-development standards rather than a nuisance rule for existing homes. Section 8:5.10 sets a measurable cap for the Environmentally Sensitive District (ESD-PM): lighting must use downward or inward-facing fixtures or shields so that light trespass measures no greater than 0.1 foot-candle at the property line with adjoining residential property. For multifamily development in commercial districts, lighting must be designed to minimize light trespass on adjoining parcels using cutoff fixtures aimed to reduce obtrusive light on neighboring properties. There is no county-wide numeric limit on light from one existing single-family home onto another; that is generally a private or city matter.
Development lighting exceeding the 0.1 foot-candle ESD-PM property-line limit, or failing the cutoff-fixture standard, is corrected through Greenville County site-plan and land-development enforcement.
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