Berkeley County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Off-street parking lots, arterial overlay
- Direction requirement
- Shielded/directed away from adjoining residences
- Glare standard
- No glare across residential boundaries
- Traffic interference
- Light must not interfere with traffic
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine / 30 days jail
Summary
Off-street parking lot lighting in Berkeley County's arterial overlay corridors must be shielded or directed away from adjoining residences and produce no glare across residential property boundaries, under County Code of Ordinances § 10.3.5(E).
(E)Lighting. Adequate lighting will be provided if off-street parking spaces are to be used at night. Equipment for lighting parking facilities will be arranged so that light does not interfere with traffic, is shielded or directed away from adjoining residences, and produces no glare across residential property boundaries.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
2's listed corridors along I-26, I-526, US 17A, US 52 and other named arterials), supplementing the county's general off-street parking requirements elsewhere in the zoning ordinance. " The same article addresses related site-design elements around lighted parking: subsection (D) requires ten percent of the developed area to stay open and landscaped to break up paving expanses, and subsection (F) requires parking lots over ten spaces to be striped with painted lines and directs traffic flow to move in a forward motion at exits. Subsection (G), covering loading docks and dumpsters, requires those features to be screened from arterial traffic view, showing the article's overall concern with how a commercial site's operational features (light spill, traffic flow, screened equipment) present toward the surrounding arterial corridor and adjoining residential parcels. The subchapter was adopted by Ordinance No. 09-11-55 in 2009 and amended by Ordinance No. 10-10-34 in 2010.
Violations & Fines
No separate fine schedule attaches to § 10.3.5, so glare or unshielded lighting complaints are enforced under the county's general penalty at § 1-8: up to a $500.00 fine, up to 30 days imprisonment, or both, with continuing noncompliance charged as a separate offense for each day it persists. The planning and zoning department reviews site lighting plans as part of single-site development plan approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Berkeley County business point parking lot floodlights at my house?
Does the light-trespass rule apply to every business lot in the county?
Who enforces glare complaints from a parking lot near an arterial road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley County
Compare Berkeley County to another location·View the South Carolina outdoor lighting overview
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