Cherokee County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

3 of the Outdoor Lighting and Road Glare ordinance, adopted by Ord. No. 2001-009, requires every luminaire except street lighting and fixtures on one- and two-family dwellings to be located, aimed and shielded so illumination stays on the target property. A luminaire designed to light pavement or ground may not sit farther than four times its own height from the lit area, and directional fixtures such as floodlights, wall packs and spotlights must be aimed so the beam center is no more than 62 degrees above nadir.

5 footcandle at other property lines, unless the higher reading comes from that neighboring property's own lights. Sign lighting carries its own trespass cap under Sec. 5 footcandle measured in a vertical plane above five feet. Applicants seeking a lighting, building or land development permit for installations exceeding half the ordinance's maximum footcandle values must submit a photometric grid to the community development director showing readings every ten feet plus vertical footcandle values at residential boundaries, per Sec. 9(B)(6). A property owner who believes a design should be allowed despite exceeding these caps can apply to the zoning board of appeals for a variance under Sec. 12, showing the alternative still limits light trespass, glare and sky glow.