La Plata County, CO Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 70-7 of the La Plata County Code, titled Lighting, is the outdoor lighting standard for unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado. Its stated purpose is to assure the safety, utility, and security of development while preventing night lighting from adversely affecting adjacent properties and neighborhoods. It applies to all new development requiring a building permit and took effect on October 1, 2020.

The neighbor rule sits in subsection III.D: all lighting must be downward directed and must not spill across property lines. The fixture rules around it back that up. Any fixture with an initial output above 2,000 lumens must be full cut-off, mounting height tops out at 35 feet above finished grade, nonresidential lighting goes off after close of business unless needed for safety or security, and permanent lights that blink, flash, or change in intensity are prohibited.

Agricultural lighting is exempt, but lighting on homes and accessory structures at a farm is not. Temporary decorations are exempt for up to 30 consecutive days, twice per year, and no more than 60 days in a calendar year. Seasonal ball diamonds and playing fields skip the full cut-off and pole height rules only if poles stay within 45 feet, illumination at the nearest interior setback line of a residential structure stays within one and one-half foot candles, and every light is out by 10:00 p.m. Multi-family and nonresidential applications must include a lighting plan showing lamps, wattage, height, location, shields, supports, and reflectors.

The Durango joint planning area, designated in the April 1, 2014 intergovernmental agreement between the county and the City of Durango, has numbers. Section 72-2 V.B caps trespass onto an adjacent property at eight-tenths (0.8) foot-candles and onto a public right-of-way at one and one-half (1.5) foot-candles, read as vertical measurements at the brightest point on the property line. Outdoor lighting there, other than security lighting and lights illuminating commercial signs, must be out at close of business or by 9:00 p.m., whichever is later.