Dade City, FL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- No light directed outward at property lines
- Residential cap
- 5 footcandles at entries and parking
- Business cap
- 10 footcandles at entries, 5 in lots
- Fixture height
- 15 ft general max, LDR § 6.4.5
- Shielding
- Full cutoff over 60 watts/100 lumens
Summary
Dade City's Exterior Lighting Standards bar light sources from being directed outward toward property lines or illuminating a neighbor's building facade, and cap horizontal illumination at 5 footcandles in residential districts and 10 at business building entries under LDR § 6.4.
(B)Direction of Lighting.(1)No Light Source Directed Outward. No light sources shall be directed outward toward property boundaries or adjacent rights-of-way.(2)No Light Source Shall Directly Illuminate Building Facades Visible from Residential Development. No light source shall directly illuminate facades of buildings which are visible from adjacent residential development. ... (C)Maximum Horizontal Illumination. Maximum initial horizontal illumination shall not exceed:(1)Residential Districts. Five (5) footcandles at building entries and parking lots for any use located in Residential districts;(2)Business Districts. Ten (10) footcandles at building entries and five (5) footcandles in parking lots in the Business districts; ... (F)Shielding.(1)Exterior. Light fixtures in excess of 60 watts or 100 lumens shall use full cut-off lenses or hoods to prevent glare and spillover from the site onto adjacent lands and roads.(2)Interior. No interior light source shall emit light directly onto adjacent residential development or vacant lands in residential districts.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 18 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
4(A), and wall-pack lights visible from off-site are banned outright. 4(C) then sets numeric ceilings on horizontal illumination: no more than 5 footcandles at building entries and in parking lots in residential districts, no more than 10 footcandles at business-district building entries and 5 footcandles in business-district parking lots, and up to 20 footcandles under canopies in the CBD, CG, CH and ILW districts. 5, rising to 25 or 45 feet only for large parking lots. 3 requires business and institutional lighting adjacent to residential land to shut off during non-operating hours except for security or safety purposes.
Violations & Fines
A property owner whose lighting trespasses onto a neighbor's land, exceeds the footcandle or lumen caps, or uses an unshielded or wall-pack fixture is in violation of LDR § 6.4.4, enforced through the site and construction plan review process and the city's code enforcement mechanism, which can require the fixture relocated, shielded or replaced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my neighbor's outdoor lights shine directly onto my property in Dade City?
Is there a numeric limit on how bright outdoor lighting can be?
How tall can a light pole be in Dade City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dade City
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Dade City to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Light Trespass & Shielding in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pasco County handle light trespass & shielding.