Ada County limits light spilling onto neighbors. In commercial or industrial settings, the effective zone of light from bright fixtures may not trespass onto abutting residential property. In rural, transitional, and residential districts, higher poles require greater setbacks from the property line.
Ada County Code Section 8-3-8(F)(7) addresses light trespass for floodlights of 900 lumens or more and other fixtures of 1,800 lumens or more. Within a commercial or industrial base district (or a commercial/industrial use in a rural or transitional district), the effective zone of light, as documented by a photometric report, shall not trespass on abutting residential properties. Within rural, transitional, or residential districts, the allowed pole height is set by Table 8-3-8-1, which increases the required property-line setback with height (formula: height = 3 + setback/3). Floodlights must be sensor-activated, shut off within five minutes, and tilt no more than 45 degrees from vertical. These standards govern unincorporated land only.
Lighting that trespasses onto an abutting residential property or violates the height-setback table is a zoning violation; Development Services can require re-aiming, shielding, or removal.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Ada County has no ordinance banning backyard composting. Home compost piles are allowed, but they must not become a nuisance, attract rodents or vermin, or c...
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Ada County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating residential artificial turf. Installation on private property is generally allowed; check drai...
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Ada County does not require any particular landscape plants and does not ban native or xeric plantings. As long as growth is not an overgrown-weed nuisance o...
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Ada County has no ordinance banning rooftop rainwater collection. Under Idaho water law, capturing rain and snowmelt from your own roof for use on your prope...
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Ada County itself sets no residential watering schedule. In the Treasure Valley, outdoor irrigation typically comes from irrigation districts (Nampa-Meridian...
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Ada County declares overgrown weeds and grasses a public nuisance when they create a fire, safety or health hazard, or interfere with neighbors' use of their...
See how Ada County's light trespass rules stack up against other locations.
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