Caldwell, ID Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Caldwell City Code Section 10-14-03, the Multi-Family Architectural Design Standards, sets a numeric light trespass ceiling for multi-family developments. Fixtures must be directed toward the ground and shielded to minimize glare or spillover onto neighboring land, and lighting fixtures used for parking and vehicle circulation areas are limited to twenty-five feet in height, must be downlit, and must be fully shielded. 1 foot-candle is permitted from any parcel onto another, with readings taken at a height of five feet above grade in a plane at any angle of inclination.

1 foot-candle threshold measured at sixty inches, so the same numeric standard that appears as a definitional benchmark becomes an enforceable design requirement specifically for multi-family projects reviewed under Article 14. Building-mounted and pedestrian-walkway lighting must also promote a safe pedestrian environment and stay consistent with the project's other decorative hardware, tying the lighting plan to the same design review that covers facade materials, rooflines, and fencing for multi-family buildings. Because this specific numeric cap sits inside the multi-family design article, it applies to the review of new apartment, duplex, and similar multi-unit projects rather than functioning as a blanket rule for every single-family lot in the city; single-family lighting disputes fall instead under the general nuisance and property-maintenance provisions of Chapter 10.