Floyd County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

0 foot-candles beyond any property line shared with a non-residential or public use. A separate clause bans direct light onto adjacent residential property or a public way altogether, regardless of the foot-candle reading. The code defines "Light Trespass" itself as the shining of light produced by a fixture beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is located, and it distinguishes "Direct Light," light emitted straight from a lamp, reflector or lens, from "Indirect Light," light that has already been reflected or scattered off another surface, since the trespass rule is aimed at direct spill rather than ambient glow.

These caps sit alongside the county's broader fixture standard requiring full cutoff, downward-directed and shielded permanent area lighting above 230 lumens residential and 500 to 600 lumens non-residential. Homeowners and businesses whose security lights, parking lot fixtures, or sign lighting shine directly across a property line into a neighbor's residential yard are the typical target of the rule. Compliance is checked by the Chief Building Inspector as part of site plan review and complaint-based inspection under Article 7.