Anderson County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 24-176 sits in chapter 24's Division 6, the performance standards that apply to nonresidential uses across the unincorporated county. It doesn't set a numeric footcandle cap at the property line; instead it states the design goal directly, that exterior illumination be carefully considered to promote safety and security while limiting light trespass and reducing glare, and it makes IESNA guideline compliance mandatory for all exterior lighting designs, folding an outside technical standard into the county's own code. That single sentence functions as the whole performance test: an applicant for a nonresidential certificate of compliance or building permit has to show, under the compliance guarantee in § 24-177, that the proposed lighting design conforms to IESNA practice and won't glare onto or trespass beyond the site.

The glare standard is reinforced by the separate performance standard at § 24-172, which bars any direct or sky-reflected glare, whether from floodlights, high-temperature processing, combustion, or welding, that would be visible in any residence, a broader rule that catches glare sources beyond ordinary site lighting. Anderson County's RV park standards add a site-specific version of the same idea: § 24-151(f)(4) requires RV park lighting for roadways, walkways, parking areas and recreational facilities to be non-glaring, energy efficient, and arranged to confine direct lighting downward and not leave the site, a more specific shielding-style directive than the general IESNA reference in § 24-176.