Fort Lauderdale, FL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 9-304(c), part of the minimum housing code's standards for private parking lots, requires that off-street parking facilities used by the public be drained so they do not create a nuisance on adjacent or public property, and any lighting thereof be arranged and designed to prevent any glare or excessive light on adjacent property. The article's scope, set in section 9-302, reaches every place of business, commercial building, multifamily building and single-family residential structure in the city, so the lighting rule is not limited to large commercial lots.

Section 9-304 also requires parking structures and carports to be kept in a secure, safe and attractive condition free of deteriorated or rusted metal, and requires parking surfaces to be identified and hard-surfaced. Under section 9-311, the article is enforced in addition to any other applicable state or local law, and where two ordinances conflict, the more restrictive one governs. There is no dollar figure specific to this section; a citation for excess glare or light spilling onto a neighbor's property is enforced as a general Code violation under section 1-6, and the city's code compliance division can also require the owner to redesign or reposition the fixtures to correct the condition.