Hoover, AL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Interior light sources
- can't be visible from residential land
- Wall-mounted lights
- need 35-degree cutoff shield
- Floodlights
- must aim away from adjoining lands
- Canopy lenses
- flush or recessed, not exposed
- Stated purpose
- minimize objectionable off-site glare
- Coverage
- multifamily, nonresidential, mixed-use only
Summary
Hoover's site lighting code stops light from crossing onto the neighbors: interior light sources can't be visible from adjoining residential land, wall-mounted fixtures need shielding or a 35-degree cutoff, and floodlights must aim exclusively at the building or feature they're lighting, never toward adjoining property or the street.
§9.20.01 Purpose. All exterior lighting shall be designed and installed to maintain adequate, safe illumination levels, utilizing durable light fixtures and minimal mounting heights that minimize objectionable off-site glare ... E. Shielding 1) Interior. No interior light source shall be positioned, aimed, or configured so as to result in the light source being visible from land occupied by existing residential development. ... §9.20.06 Floodlights and Spotlights. Floodlights and spotlights shall be selected, located, aimed, and shielded so that direct illumination is focused exclusively on a portion of the building façade or other intended site feature and away from adjoining lands or the right-of-way.
Full Breakdown
E carry that purpose into hard rules against light crossing property lines. No interior light source may be "positioned, aimed, or configured so as to result in the light source being visible from land occupied by existing residential development," and lenses inside a canopy structure must sit flush with or recessed into the canopy so the bulb isn't exposed to neighboring land. " Decorative sconces are allowed only if the light source stays hidden from adjacent residentially used or zoned land and the fixture still meets the intensity limits in Table 9-1.
06: they must be "selected, located, aimed, and shielded so that direct illumination is focused exclusively on a portion of the building façade or other intended site feature and away from adjoining lands or the right-of-way," with no part of the bulb extending past the shield's edge and the main beam kept invisible from neighboring land or the road. Pole-mounted floodlights or spotlights aimed at a nonresidential building are banned outright. 02; single-family and two-family lots fall outside the section.
Violations & Fines
A property owner whose land receives trespassing light from a neighboring commercial or multifamily site can report it to the Building Department. A fixture that violates the shielding, wall-mount or floodlight standards is a zoning violation punished under §2.01.06: a $1 to $500 fine, up to six months' imprisonment, or both, with each day of continued glare counted as a separate offense, and the Building Official can seek a court order to abate a noncompliant installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a floodlight point at my neighbor's yard?
Are wall-mounted porch or building lights regulated?
What about light glowing through a building's windows at night?
Does my house's porch light have to be shielded?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hoover
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