Greensboro, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

LDO § 30-9-6.6 sets the citywide light-trespass ceiling: all outdoor lighting must be located, angled, shielded or limited in intensity so it casts no direct light or glare exceeding one footcandle at any abutting residentially used property line or on adjacent streets. The rule works alongside the fixture and shielding standards of § 30-9-6.5, which require cut-off fixtures with flat lenses or shielding on any light producing more than 4,050 lumens and cap poles at 35 feet, and the outright ban on flashing, revolving or high-intensity beams in § 30-9-6.4.

Compliance is checked at the permitting stage: § 30-9-6.8 requires every site plan to show fixture type, pole height and any shielding, plus a note certifying the proposed development meets the outdoor lighting standards, including the § 30-9-6.6 light-trespass limit specifically. The standards apply to outdoor lighting installed after June 30, 2010 under § 30-9-6.2, and several use categories sit outside the trespass rule under § 30-9-6.3: single-family detached residential lots, motion-triggered security lights running 15 minutes or less, temporary holiday displays, airport and FAA-required lighting, municipal street lights, and construction or emergency lighting used only for the duration of the work or emergency.

Outdoor recreation facilities such as ballfields are also carved out of § 30-9-6.6 and instead follow the separate nighttime-visibility standards of § 30-9-6.7, which requires lighting plans to minimize nuisance impacts on residential-zoned property through measures like extra landscaping, earlier shut-off times or cutoff fixtures where feasible.