Bothell, WA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Light trespass defined
- Unwanted light that falls on neighboring properties
- Shielding trigger
- Unshielded pole fixtures within two mounting pole heights of an adjacent property
- Pole height, Lighting Zone 2
- 15 feet above city-approved finish grade
- Pole height, Lighting Zone 3
- 20 feet above city-approved finish grade
- Home pole fixtures
- Maximum of 12 feet above finish grade
- Glare toward streets
- Prohibited under BMC 8.64.030, civil code infraction
Summary
In the City of Bothell, Washington, BMC § 12.14.240 lists minimizing off-site light trespass as a purpose of its exterior lighting rules and defines it as unwanted light that falls on neighboring properties. Fixtures within two mounting pole heights of an adjacent property need house-side shields, and BMC § 8.64.030 bans glare toward public rights-of-way.
2. Minimize adverse off-site impacts including light trespass, glare, and night glow; ... “Light trespass” means unwanted light that falls on neighboring properties. ... (3) All light fixtures within two mounting pole heights of any adjacent property (excluding public rights-of-way) that are not building mounted must be facing in toward the project and have house-side shields consistent with Figure 12.14-25 installed on the side of the fixture nearest the adjacent property.
Full Breakdown
Bothell Municipal Code § 12.14.240 is the city's exterior lighting section. Its purpose clause includes minimizing adverse off-site impacts including light trespass, glare, and night glow, and its definitions section says "light trespass" means unwanted light that falls on neighboring properties. The operative neighbor protection is in subsection (I)(1)(b)(3): all light fixtures within two mounting pole heights of any adjacent property, excluding public rights-of-way, that are not building mounted must face in toward the project and have house-side shields, consistent with Figure 12.14-25, installed on the side of the fixture nearest the adjacent property.
Pole height limits support that shielding. Maximum mounting pole height is 15 feet above city-approved finish grade in Lighting Zone 2 and 20 feet in Lighting Zone 3, with 20 and 25 feet for developments classified as large in those zones, and 25 feet in a Lighting Zone 4 property. Subsection G requires automatic controls that extinguish exterior lighting in daylight, and sets curfews for lighting systems installed after January 22, 2011: parking lots for offices and similar uses reduce to a maximum of 25 percent of normal output from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. or 30 minutes before opening, and sports fields on R-C, R-L1 and R-L2 land curfew at 10:00 p.m. unless a game is in progress, with games not allowed to start after 8:00 p.m.
Homes have their own limits in subsection K. Porch lights and sconces with clear glass lenses are limited to up to two 345 lumen lamps, fixtures with translucent lenses to a total of 1,220 lumens, and fully shielded fixtures to 2,700 lumens. Pole-mounted residential fixtures must sit at a maximum of 12 feet above finish grade. A separate rule, BMC 8.64.030, prohibits any light fixture causing direct glare or reflections toward public rights-of-way in a manner that causes a visual distraction to vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians, as determined by the director of public works.
Violations & Fines
Violations of chapter 8.64, including the glare prohibition in BMC 8.64.030, are a civil code infraction enforced under chapter 11.20 BMC, per BMC 8.64.050. The exterior lighting section, BMC 12.14.240, prints no separate penalty of its own, and its rules attach to development applications and existing developments as listed in its applicability subsection. Fixtures repaired or replaced under the repair exemption must still comply with the glare and light pollution standards of the section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is light trespass under Bothell's code?
What shielding does Bothell require near a neighbor's property line?
How bright can a Bothell homeowner's porch light be?
Is glare toward the street prohibited in Bothell?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bothell
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