Collierville, TN Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Collierville handles light trespass with numeric spillover limits in § 151.190(F)(1)(d) of the Collierville Code of Ordinances. The rule begins with a shielding duty: lighting fixture shielding shall be arranged to minimize glare, spillover, and reflection upon adjacent lands. It then fixes the maximum level of spillover in Table 151.190-02, measured in footcandles. The table has two measuring points, at the property line and 10 feet from the property line, and two neighbor types. Adjacent to commercial property the limits are 1.0 at the property line and 0.5 at 10 feet. Adjacent to residential property they are 0.5 at the property line and 0.25 at 10 feet. The stricter residential column protects houses that back up to shopping centers, apartments, or office sites in the Town of Collierville.

Lighting values are based on maintained illuminance under § 151.190(F)(1)(e), so the figures hold after lamps age rather than on day one. Division (F)(5)(c) requires spotlights and floodlights to be selected, located, aimed, and shielded so that direct illumination falls on the building façade, plantings, and other intended site features and away from adjoining properties and public rights-of-way. Division (H)(7) flatly prohibits fixtures that create off-site glare.

Outdoor sports fields and performance areas get their own measure. Under (F)(6), fixtures must have a glare control package, must be aimed so beams fall within the primary playing field or performance area with no direct light directed off site, and spill light values may not exceed 0.2 footcandle horizontal at 150 feet beyond the field boundary. Those facilities cannot be illuminated after 11:00 p.m. except to conclude activity begun before then.

The section applies to multi-family residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. Individual residential lighting not reviewed as part of a site plan is exempt under (D)(1). Where a lighting plan is required, the owner or builder must supply a final letter of certification from the lighting engineer, qualified lighting professional, or manufacturer verifying that site lighting meets town standards before certificates of occupancy are released.