Utah County, UT Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- Parking lot lights must be shielded
- Direction required
- Down and away from neighbors
- Reviewed at
- Plot plan / building permit stage
- Duty type
- Continuing obligation of owner
Summary
Unincorporated Utah County requires any lighting that illuminates an off-street parking facility to use shielded fixtures aimed down and away from neighboring property, under UCLUO § 4.60, enforced through the same plot-plan review that approves the parking layout itself.
[UCLUO § 4.60, Off-Street Parking And Loading] Lighting of Parking Areas: Any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking facilities shall be accomplished by shielded light sources to direct the light down and away from the adjoining premises. Plot Plan Approval Required: At the time a Building permit is requested for any Building or Structure, or at the time the use of land is changed which requires additional off-street parking, a plot plan shall be submitted showing the location and layout of the required Parking Spaces along with access aisles and driveways. The Zoning Administrator shall not approve the plot plan and permit if he/she finds that the plan does not comply with the requirements for off-street parking as set forth in this land use ordinance.
Full Breakdown
UCLUO § 4.60, Off-Street Parking And Loading, states plainly that any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking facilities shall be accomplished by shielded light sources to direct the light down and away from the adjoining premises. That shielding duty attaches to any use in unincorporated Utah County that is required to provide off-street parking, which covers essentially every dwelling, business, church, industrial building, and other occupied structure under the section's parking-space table, so it functions as the county's general light-trespass control for site lighting rather than a rule limited to large commercial lots.
The same section ties lighting compliance to the permitting process: under Plot Plan Approval Required, anyone requesting a building permit for a structure, or changing a land use in a way that requires additional off-street parking, must submit a plot plan showing the layout of the required parking spaces, access aisles, and driveways, and the Zoning Administrator cannot approve that plot plan or the permit if it does not comply with the section's off-street parking requirements, including the lighting-direction rule. UCLUO § 4.60 also makes the parking and lighting standards a Continuing Obligation of the property owner for as long as the use continues, so a property cannot legally remove or fail to maintain shielded fixtures after initial approval without providing lighting that still meets the requirement.
Violations & Fines
Unshielded parking-area lighting that spills onto adjoining property, or failure to maintain the shielding approved on a plot plan, is a Land Use Ordinance violation. Under UCLUO § 16.104, that carries a class C misdemeanor plus civil penalties beginning at $25 per day and rising to $1,000 per day if the lighting is not corrected within 30 days of the county's written notice; unresolved violations can also hold up other permits for the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does unincorporated Utah County regulate light spilling onto my property from a neighboring business?
When does the county check parking lot lighting?
Can a property remove its shielded lighting after it is approved?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Utah County
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