Herndon, VA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

Exterior lighting in Herndon is regulated under the Zoning Ordinance Article on lighting standards and through general nuisance provisions in Town Code. The general requirement is that all outdoor lighting must be installed and oriented to prevent direct glare, light trespass, and sky glow onto adjoining properties and public rights-of-way. Fixtures must be full cutoff or fully shielded, with the light source not visible from adjoining properties at the horizontal plane of the fixture bottom. For commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential developments (4+ units), lighting plans are required at site plan review and must demonstrate compliance with foot-candle limits: typically not exceeding 0.1 foot-candle at residential property lines and 0.5 foot-candle at non-residential property lines. Maximum pole heights are typically 16 feet in parking lots adjacent to residential areas and 25 feet elsewhere. Color temperature of LED fixtures is often limited to 3000K or lower in residential-adjacent areas to reduce blue light pollution. For single-family residential lighting (porch lights, landscape lighting, security lights), the standards are less prescriptive but nuisance light trespass can be enforced through Town Code. Residents annoyed by a neighbor's bright security floodlight may file a complaint with Herndon Code Enforcement, which will investigate and require shielding or re-aiming. Decorative holiday lighting is typically permitted from Thanksgiving through January 15 without restriction. Parking lot and signage lighting may be required to reduce intensity (50% or turn off) after business hours. Herndon does not have a formal Dark Sky designation but follows similar principles.