St. Tammany Parish, LA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

1(A) states the parish's purpose in mandatory terms: luminaires on all properties, in all zoning districts, shall be installed to keep unnecessary direct light from shining onto abutting properties or streets. That purpose becomes an enforceable design rule in subsection C(4)(a)(i), which bars any spot or flood luminaire rated 3,000 lumens or less from being aimed, directed, or focused so as to cause direct light to be directed toward residential buildings on adjacent or nearby land, or to create glare perceptible to persons operating motor vehicles on public ways.

Homeowners face a parallel, more specific angle limit: under subsection C(3)(a), any single-family or two-family exterior fixture of 1,500 lumens or less, including spotlights and floodlights, must have its beam centerline aimed no higher than 35 degrees above straight down whenever the fixture is visible from an off-site residential lot or a public road. Fixtures between 1,500 and 3,000 lumens on those same lots are limited to a 3,000K color temperature under subsection C(3)(b), and anything over 3,000 lumens must be fully shielded under subsection C(3)(c), both of which cut down on the harsh, far-throwing light most likely to cross a property line.

The trespass rule travels with every commercial lighting permit: a photometric plan submitted under subsection B(2)(c) must show footcandle readings extending to all lot lines or as far as necessary to show where the footcandle measurement decreases to zero, so the Department of Planning and Development can confirm a fixture's light dies out before it reaches the neighboring parcel.