Boise, ID Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Light trespass limit
- 1.0 footcandle at property line
- Curfew
- Off 11 p.m. to sunrise (most districts)
- Fixture type
- Full-cutoff, fully shielded required
- Color temperature cap
- 3,500 Kelvin maximum
- Small residential lights exempt
- 100 watts or less exempt
Summary
Boise caps light trespass, mandates fully shielded fixtures, and requires most outdoor lights off after 11 p.m. under City Code § 11-04-011.
All lighting fixtures, except motion detector-activated lighting, shall be fully shielded so that the lighting element is not visible to an observer at any property line.
(2) Unless otherwise specified, all lighting fixtures shall be full cutoff type as installed. [https://export.amlegal.com/media/d6fb9af378cfd952023978abcf2d6c995555e65d/ IMAGES/0-0-0-6241.jpg] Figure 4.40. Examples of Full-Cutoff Light Fixtures [https://export.amlegal.com/media/d6fb9af378cfd952023978abcf2d6c995555e65d/ IMAGES/0-0-0-6243.jpg] Figure 4.41. Example of Required Light Cutoff
(3) A lighting fixture may beam light upward only if all upward light is reflected back down by a canopy, roof, or other such structure.
C. Light Trespass: All lighting shall be designed so that the lighting level at each property line that does not front on a public or private street shall not exceed 1.0 footcandle. [https://export.amlegal.com/media/d6fb9af378cfd952023978abcf2d6c995555e65d/ IMAGES/0-0-0-6245.jpg] Figure 4.42. Light Trespass
D. Reduced Lighting During Evening Hours: All outdoor light fixtures within Residential, Mixed-Use, Industrial, and Open Land districts shall remain off between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise except for security purposes or to illuminate walkways, driveways, equipment yards, and parking lots.
E. Maintenance: All outdoor light fixtures shall be maintained in accordance with Section
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-31: Code current through: Ord. 20-26, passed 6-9-2026).
Full Breakdown
Boise City Code § 11-04-011 sets exterior lighting rules for all zoning districts to cut glare, sky-glow, and light trespass onto neighboring land. Fixtures must be full-cutoff and fully shielded so the lighting element isn't visible from any property line, capped at a color temperature of 3,500 Kelvin, and light spilling onto a non-street-facing property line can't exceed 1.0 footcandle. In Residential, Mixed-Use, Industrial, and Open Land districts, outdoor lights must go off between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise except for security, walkways, driveways, equipment yards, and parking lots. Searchlights, rotating beacons, laser/strobe sources, and mercury-vapor or low-pressure sodium lighting are banned outright.
Violations & Fines
Enforced through Boise Planning and Development Services as a Zoning Code standard; noncompliant lighting can block permit/certificate of occupancy approval and is subject to code enforcement action requiring retrofit of fixtures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave floodlights on all night in Boise?
Are unshielded string lights allowed on my house in Boise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boise
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