Kirkland, WA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Citywide rule
- Glare barred from adjacent property, KZC 115.85(1)(c)
- Boundary limit (Rose Hill/TL 9A)
- 0.6 fc at boundary, 0.1 fc onto residential land
- Curfew
- Lights off by 10:00 p.m. except security
- Fixture height cap
- 20 ft ground-mounted; 12 ft after-hours security
- Trigger for compliance
- >25% floor area increase, KZC 115.85(2)(c)(2)
Summary
Kirkland requires every development citywide to select, place and direct light sources so glare does not extend onto adjacent properties or the right-of-way. Rose Hill Business District and TL 9A vehicle-sales lighting face added numeric limits capping spillover at the property line.
c. Glare from Subject Property Prohibited – The applicant shall select, place and direct light sources so that glare produced by any light source, to the maximum extent possible, does not extend to adjacent properties or to the right-of-way. ... 5) All development proposed within 100 feet of a low density residential zone shall submit a lighting plan and photometric site plan for approval by the Planning Official... indicate at 20-foot intervals that all site- and building-mounted lighting fixtures will produce a maximum initial luminance value of 0.6 horizontal and vertical foot-candles (as measured at three (3) feet above grade) at the site boundary, and drop to 0.1 foot-candles onto the abutting residential-zoned property as measured within 15 feet from the residential-zoned property line.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4945, passed July 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
" This applies to all interior and exterior lighting in any zone, alongside a requirement to use energy-efficient sources and to meet the Washington State Energy Code's lighting provisions. 5 defines light trespass itself as "unwanted light which, because of quantitative, directional or spectral attributes in a given contact, gives rise to annoyance, discomfort, distraction, or a reduction in the ability to see essential information," the term the general glare standard is built to prevent. Where lighting impacts historically drew the most complaints, the code adds hard numbers.
(security lighting may stay on if mounted no higher than 12 feet and kept under a 15:1 uniformity ratio), and limits ground-mounted fixture height to 20 feet in parking and storage areas. 1 foot-candles onto the abutting residential-zoned property measured within 15 feet of that property line. Nonconforming fixtures must be shielded when replaced or moved, and full compliance is triggered when a structure's gross floor area grows more than 25 percent.
Violations & Fines
Lighting plans that fail to meet the glare-control standard of KZC 115.85(1)(c) can be rejected at permit review; in the Rose Hill Business District and TL 9A, the Planning Official must approve a photometric site plan before development proceeds, and existing nonconforming fixtures must be brought into shielding compliance when replaced, moved, or when a building's floor area expands more than 25 percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Kirkland's code say about light spilling onto a neighbor's property?
Are there numeric limits on how much light can cross a property line in Kirkland?
Does Kirkland require outdoor lights to turn off at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kirkland
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Light Trespass & Shielding in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle light trespass & shielding.