Cabarrus County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

4 foot-candles for non-cutoff fixtures, and average outdoor lighting intensity across a site cannot exceed 6 foot-candles as measured at grade. Fixtures must also be located at least 15 feet from property lines and mounted no higher than 18 feet above grade if non-cutoff, or 35 feet if cutoff. Appendix B's commercial lighting standards reinforce this with a plain-language rule: no light fixture may create glare or spillover lighting effects on any residential properties or streets, and both freestanding street lighting and parking lot lighting must use fixtures that shield the source and keep it from reaching neighboring land.

A photometric plan showing compliance with these foot-candle limits must be submitted as part of zoning site plan review before the county will approve a commercial or applicable residential-district project. Ball field, soccer field, and tennis court lighting is excused from the mounting-height limits given the need for nighttime visibility, but that recreational lighting still has to meet the same illumination caps that prevent spillover onto adjoining land.