Lacey, WA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Lacey regulates stray light through design review and the sign code rather than a stand-alone lighting chapter. LMC 14.23.082(F) governs site lighting for commercial development. Establishments install lighting throughout the site for entryways, parking lots, and pedestrian areas, achieved both at a pedestrian and overall site level. The lighting is activated by photo electric cells or timers, and the fixtures complement project design and are oriented to avoid direct glare to adjacent properties.

Where a commercial site backs up to housing, LMC 14.23.082(G) adds a compatibility test. Commercial establishments located adjacent to residential zones must integrate with the neighborhood, and impacts such as light/glare, noise and traffic shall be considered, with mitigation techniques that reduce or eliminate identified impacts to the residential environment. The multi-family guidelines in LMC 14.23.080(I) use the same glare wording, and the industrial guidelines in LMC 14.23.083(C)(7) apply it particularly where properties are located in a different zoning classification.

The measurable standard is in the sign code, LMC 16.75.080(A)(7)(d). Digital signage elements integrated into a freestanding sign need automatic dimming that adjusts to ambient light at all times. Brightness is capped at five thousand maximum nits in the daytime and one hundred fifty maximum nits at night, with day and night calculated from sunrise to sunset for Lacey, WA. The trespass limit is one-tenth foot-candle at the property line of any park or residential property. Directory and image changes need a ten-second minimum dwell time, and animation, movement or video imaging is prohibited.

Design review is run by the director of community and economic development under LMC 14.23.040, so lighting plans are checked with the rest of the site plan.