Colorado Springs, CO Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

1203) governs exterior lighting on new construction with a Development Plan, any 50%-or-greater floor-area or parking expansion, and any lighting swap covering 50% or more of a site's permitted lumens. 5% beyond 90 degrees. Floodlights and spotlights get an extra layer: they must be fully shielded from any residential lot or public right-of-way, and their centerline beam "aimed no higher than forty-five (45) degrees above vertical," with wide-beam (over 90-degree) fixtures barred from casting light above horizontal at all. B bans laser, strobe or high-pressure-sodium site lighting outright.

Light trespass is capped at one footcandle measured with a meter three feet above grade at the midpoint of each property line (except one facing a public street), and fixtures must not cause glare at or beyond the lot line or be aimed toward traffic. Motion-activated lights under 1,800 lumens that cycle off within 10 minutes, underwater pool lighting, holiday lights, and building-mounted residential fixtures are exempt from full shielding. Pole and wall-mount height for parking/service-area lighting tops out at 20 feet in residential districts, 35 feet in mixed-use/BP/LI/PF/PK districts, and 50 feet elsewhere, dropping to 20 feet anywhere adjacent to a residential lot. 12 applicability again, such as through a qualifying expansion.