Allegheny County, PA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- County Dept. of Economic Development
- Standard
- No nuisance glare onto neighbors
- Applies to
- Subdivision & land-development plans
- Pittsburgh
- Exempt from this chapter
Summary
Allegheny County's subdivision code requires all outdoor lighting in new developments to be aimed and shielded so it never creates a nuisance by projecting objectionable light onto neighboring properties.
All lighting shall be aimed so as not to present a hazard to drivers or pedestrians or create a nuisance by projecting or reflecting objectionable light onto neighboring uses or properties.
(2) Directional fixtures shall be shielded, installed and aimed so they do not project output past the object being illuminated into windows of neighboring uses, skyward or onto a public roadway or pedestrianway.
(3) Parking and vehicular pedestrianway lighting for commercial, industrial and institutional uses (except for security lighting and all-night business operations) shall be extinguished, using a programmable controller, within 1/2 hour after the close of business. Safety or security lighting for after-hours illumination shall not exceed 25% of the number of fixtures or illuminance permitted for illumination during regular business hours. If there is continued, but reduced, evening activity, the use of dimming circuitry to lower illumination levels by 50% after 11:00 p.m. or after normal business hours shall be permitted.
(4) Vegetative screens shall not be used to serve as the primary means for controlling glare. Rather, glare control shall be achieved primarily through the use of such means as cutoff fixtures, shields and baffles and appropriate application of fixture mounting height, wattage, aiming angle and placement.
(5)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4857026; v12 updated 2024-06-04; through 06-04-2024).
Full Breakdown
Under the county's 2012 Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, § 780-522.B(1) requires every outdoor fixture approved through subdivision or land-development review to be aimed so it does not endanger drivers or pedestrians or create a nuisance by throwing objectionable light onto neighboring uses. The Department of Economic Development enforces this design standard during plan review; a photometric plan under § 780-402C(13) must accompany any lighting plan. The rule governs municipalities that have not adopted their own subdivision ordinance, or that have adopted this chapter by reference: the City of Pittsburgh is exempt under § 780-103E.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant lighting plans are rejected or conditioned at subdivision/land-development plan review by the Department of Economic Development; no photometric plan means no plan approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply inside the City of Pittsburgh?
What triggers this lighting standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allegheny County
Compare Allegheny County to another location·View the Pennsylvania outdoor lighting overview
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