Carrollton, TX Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Article 28, Section B of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance regulates outdoor lighting to control glare, sky glow and light trespass. 2) of one foot-candle where it shines onto adjacent residential uses or zoned property. Fixtures citywide must be hooded or carry a dark-sky compliance seal approved by the City Manager or designee, and any fixture visible from an arterial street on the city's Transportation Plan must be oriented 90 degrees downward. Wall-mounted fixtures need shielding so spillage does not exceed 45 degrees from the building face, and luminaires on commercial or multi-family property abutting a Single-Family Residential District must be fully shielded from direct view at five feet or more above grade at the property line.

Mercury vapor lamps are banned outright. The ordinance exempts government lighting on public rights-of-way, parks and recreation areas; police, fire and emergency lighting; school ball fields (though those must still be shielded to the neighborhood limits); internally illuminated signs; approved temporary event lighting; and low-wattage seasonal or decorative lighting. Any addition, replacement or substantial change to an existing lighting system must comply with Article 28. 56 declares that glare or direct illumination crossing a bounding property line that also violates the Zoning Ordinance's glare standard constitutes a nuisance, letting the city prosecute under Chapter 92 rather than only through zoning enforcement.