Showing ordinances that apply to Garden Home-Whitford, OR
Garden Home-Whitford is an unincorporated community (population 7,081) in Washington County, Oregon. Because Garden Home-Whitford is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Washington County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The light trespass rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Washington County Community Development Code Section 415 regulates outdoor lighting on development sites. Light sources must be shielded so direct light does not trespass on adjacent residential property. Code enforcement handles complaints in unincorporated areas.
CDC 415 (Lighting) applies to new development and requires site lighting be directed and shielded so that direct rays do not shine onto adjacent residential properties or public rights-of-way. Luminaires on commercial and multi-family sites must be full cutoff where abutting residential zones. Existing single-family lighting is generally not permit-regulated but glare and light trespass onto neighbors can be enforced as a nuisance under Chapter 8.20 of the Code of Ordinances. Holiday lights are traditionally tolerated seasonally. Hillsboro (HMC 12.40), Beaverton (BDC 60.05.15.6), and Tigard (CDC 18.410) each impose full-cutoff, shielded-fixture standards for new non-residential development with light levels capped at property lines. Dark-sky style shielding is encouraged metro-wide.
Nuisance light complaint: code compliance issues notice, typical 10 to 30 day correction period. Continuing violations under Chapter 8.20: civil penalties up to $500 per day. Commercial development out of compliance with CDC 415: stop-work or certificate of occupancy hold.
See how Garden Home-Whitford's light trespass rules stack up against other locations.
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