Everett, WA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Fixture type
- Full cut-off, dark-sky rated
- Max height
- 30 feet above ground
- Trigger
- 9+ residential spaces or any nonresidential
- Spillover
- No light onto adjacent parcels
Summary
Everett requires parking-area security lighting to use full cut-off, dark-sky-rated fixtures mounted no higher than thirty feet, with light kept off adjacent private property.
Surface parking areas for residential uses with nine or more parking spaces or for any nonresidential uses shall provide illumination to improve site security and minimize light spill and glare impacts on adjacent properties. Parking area illumination shall meet the following standards:
1. Parking area lighting fixtures shall be full cut-off (zero percent candlepower at ninety degrees horizontal and ten percent maximum candlepower at eighty degrees from vertical), dark sky rated, and mounted no more than thirty feet above the ground, with lower fixtures preferable so as to maintain a human scale.
2. All fixtures over fifteen feet in height shall be fitted with a full cut-off luminaire.
3. Figure 34-3. Acceptable and unacceptable parking area lighting.Figure 34-3: Parking Area Illumination [IMAGE: <19.34.120_Figure4.jpg>]
4. Except within industrial zones, pedestrian-scaled lighting (light fixtures no taller than fifteen feet) is encouraged in areas of pedestrian activity.
5. Lighting must not trespass onto adjacent private parcels. All building-mounted lights shall be directed onto the building itself and/or the ground immediately adjacent to it. The light emissions shall not be visible above the roof line of the building.
G. Maintenance.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4194-26, passed July 29, 2026).
Full Breakdown
EMC 19.34.120(F) requires illumination for surface parking areas serving nine or more residential spaces, and for any nonresidential use, to improve security while limiting spill and glare onto neighboring properties. Fixtures must be full cut-off, zero percent candlepower at ninety degrees horizontal and no more than ten percent at eighty degrees from vertical, dark-sky rated, and mounted no higher than thirty feet, with any fixture over fifteen feet also requiring a full cut-off luminaire. Building-mounted lights must aim only at the building itself or adjacent ground, and light can't trespass onto adjacent private parcels.
Violations & Fines
Installing unshielded or floodlight-style parking lot fixtures, mounting lights above thirty feet, or letting light spill onto a neighboring parcel violates EMC 19.34.120(F) parking illumination standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of light fixtures does Everett require for parking lots?
Does this apply to my home's driveway lights?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Everett
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