Williamson County's Zoning Ordinance bars exterior lighting from shining into a neighbor's yard or windows and caps illumination at the property line at 0.2 footcandles for site-plan uses. Single-family homes rely on city rules or a nuisance claim.
For projects that require a site plan, Section 16.03 of the county Zoning Ordinance directly addresses light trespass: exterior lighting must not shine directly into the yard or windows of adjacent residential uses, and illumination measured at the property line may not exceed 0.2 footcandles. Fixtures over 1,000 lumens must be full cut-off to prevent spillover. Single-family homes are exempt from these standards, so a homeowner troubled by a neighbor's floodlight generally turns to city zoning rules where they exist, or to a common-law private-nuisance claim. Brentwood and Franklin regulate glare and spillover into residential areas through their own codes.
The county enforces Section 16.03 at site-plan review, requiring an offending light to be shielded or reaimed. Between single-family neighbors, remedies come from city ordinances or a private-nuisance suit, where a court can order a light dimmed or redirected.
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