Kingsport, TN Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

The light trespass rule in Kingsport's Code sits inside Article VIII, Swimming Pools, of Chapter 22, and it reaches artificial lighting maintained or operated in connection with any swimming pool. Section 22-526(b) contains three separate commands. First, the lighting cannot be maintained or operated in a manner that is a nuisance or annoyance to neighboring properties. Second, the lighting shall not shine directly upon any abutting property. Third, all lighting must be properly shielded. The text prints no footcandle, lumen or hour limit, so the test is direct shine onto an abutting parcel, nuisance to neighbors, and shielding.

The building official enforces the article under Section 22-524. Section 22-525 requires the owner or operator of any swimming pool to allow the building official, the health officer or another authorized official access to any swimming pool, wading pool or portable pool and its appurtenances at all reasonable times to check compliance. Section 22-527(b) adds that any nuisance or hazard to health developing in connection with a pool must be abated and removed by the owner, lessee or occupant upon notice from the building official or the city health officer.

The article rests on the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2018 edition, adopted by reference in Section 22-522.

The pool lighting rule is not the only lighting language in Kingsport's Code. The Chapter 114 zoning districts carry their own lighting text; the mixed-use district, for example, requires that lighting be sufficient for safe use and not create a traffic hazard or glare for any surrounding residential area. Those district rules apply to the developments in the district, while Section 22-526(b) follows the pool wherever it sits in the City of Kingsport, Sullivan County.