Hall County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 6.2.5.D, Gateway Corridor Overlay District
- Fixture standard
- Semi-cutoff luminaires, streetlights and security lights
- Geographic scope
- Nine named corridors, plus 300-ft buffer
- Streetlight spacing
- 300 feet on-center, both sides
- Approving agency
- Hall County Public Works Department
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months (§ 1.50.020)
Summary
Along Hall County's nine designated Gateway Corridors, the Unified Development Code requires every outdoor light fixture to use semi-cutoff optics, the shielded design that aims glare downward instead of spilling it onto neighboring parcels and passing motorists. Corridor streetlights must also be staggered 300 feet on-center and cleared by the county's Public Works Department before installation.
D.Outdoor lighting.1.Streetlights.a.Streetlights must be provided on all public streets.b.The spacing of streetlights must be staggered, 300 feet on-center, along both sides of the roadway.c.All street lighting is subject to review and approval of the Hall County Public Works Department.d.All outdoor lighting must be the semi-cutoff type.2.Semi-cutoff luminaries must be used for all security lighting.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Sec. D of the Hall County Unified Development Code sits inside the Gateway Corridor Overlay District (GCOD), which Sec. R. R. S. R. R. 13 (Atlanta Highway/Falcon Parkway), McEver Road, Martin Road, Spout Springs Road, Friendship Road, and realigned Thompson Mill Road, plus any parcel within 300 feet of a corridor centerline as of March 22, 2007. Within that footprint, Sec. D requires semi-cutoff luminaires for both streetlights and security lighting, the fixture design that directs light output downward rather than outward across a property line.
Streetlights must be staggered 300 feet on-center along both sides of the road, and any street lighting design needs sign-off from the Hall County Public Works Department before it goes in. A Director-level exemption under Sec. C can pull a parcel out of the GCOD entirely if it sits more than 300 feet from a corridor centerline or has no access to one, removing the lighting requirement along with the rest of the overlay's standards. Outside the mapped GCOD corridors, this specific cutoff-fixture mandate does not attach; the code's separate street lighting chapter, Sec.
6, instead governs county-installed lighting in public rights-of-way and requires that any right-of-way fixture be operated so its glare does not interfere with the normal use of the street.
Violations & Fines
A GCOD lighting violation is enforced as a Unified Development Code violation under Sec. 11.4.4: any person, firm, or corporation violating any UDC provision is guilty of a misdemeanor prosecuted in Magistrate or State Court, punished per Sec. 1.50.020 with a fine up to $1,000, up to six months, or both, and every day the noncompliant fixture stays in place counts as a separate offense. The county may also pursue injunctive relief under Sec. 11.4.3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hall County require shielded outdoor lighting to stop glare from crossing onto neighboring property?
What roads fall inside the Gateway Corridor Overlay District?
Who approves street lighting plans in the corridor?
What happens if a property owner installs noncompliant lighting?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hall County
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