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Broomfield, CO Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
§ 17-29-050(K)
Scope
Interchange Influence Area overlay only
Walkway lighting cap
16 feet
Reviewing agency
Community Development, site plan review
Max general penalty
$2,650 fine / 364 days jail per day

Summary

Inside Broomfield's Interchange Influence Area overlay along US-36, new development's exterior lighting cannot create glare or spillover light onto adjacent properties, and walkway lighting is capped at sixteen feet. Broomfield Municipal Code section 17-29-050(K) sets the standard, enforced by Community Development during site development plan review before a building permit issues.

(K)Lighting.(1)Exterior . ... .lighting shall not create glare or spillover light to adjacent properties.(2)Walkway lighting should not exceed sixteen feet in height.

Full Breakdown

The Interchange Influence Area overlay covers land mapped around Broomfield's freeway and arterial interchanges along US-36, including the Interlocken and Flatiron Crossing corridor, and its development requirements under section 17-29-050 apply on top of whatever the underlying zone district already requires. Subsection (K), Lighting, is a two-part rule: clause (1) bars exterior lighting that creates glare or spillover light onto adjacent properties, and clause (2) caps walkway lighting at sixteen feet in height. These sit alongside the same section's other site-design rules, including a forty-foot building height cap under (F) and a requirement under (G) that parking lots over 100 spaces be broken into smaller, screened sections.

Because these are development-plan standards rather than a stand-alone nuisance ordinance, they are checked by the city's Community Development department when a project inside the overlay submits its site development plan or PUD plan, and again at building permit review; a lighting or photometric plan that shows glare crossing a property line is grounds to require redesign before approval. There is no separate variance track named in this section; a property owner seeking relief would need site development plan approval that documents equivalent screening or mitigation.

The rule reads narrowly, its wording is a printing artifact of the code itself ('Exterior .....lighting') rather than a substantive gap, but the operative command is unambiguous: no glare or spillover onto neighboring parcels, and low walkway fixtures.

Violations & Fines

A site development plan that does not control glare or spillover, or that exceeds the sixteen-foot walkway lighting cap, can be denied or conditioned by Community Development before permits issue. Once built, a documented spillover complaint is handled as a general code violation under Broomfield Municipal Code section 1-12-020: a fine of up to $2,650.00, up to 364 days in jail, or both, with each day the condition continues counted as a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Broomfield's light trespass rule apply citywide?
No. Section 17-29-050(K) is written into the Interchange Influence Area overlay, which only covers land mapped around the city's freeway and arterial interchanges along US-36, such as the Interlocken and Flatiron Crossing corridor. It applies on top of the underlying zone district's own rules there.
What exactly does the rule prohibit?
Clause (K)(1) prohibits exterior lighting that creates glare or spillover light onto adjacent properties. Clause (K)(2) separately caps walkway lighting height at sixteen feet, a size limit meant to keep pedestrian-scale fixtures from acting like area floodlights.
Who reviews lighting plans for compliance?
Community Development checks lighting and photometric plans as part of site development plan or PUD plan review for projects inside the overlay, before a building permit is issued, and can require redesign if glare would cross onto a neighboring parcel.

Sources & Official References

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