Lee County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Lee County addresses light trespass through its multi-family residential development standards rather than a standalone outdoor lighting chapter. UDO § 10.3.2.4.2, part of the design standards applying to multi-family dwelling units and single-family attached development under § 10.3.1.2, requires that outdoor area lighting be provided for security but sets a specific limit on how that lighting can be aimed: it must be shielded to direct light downward and not into dwelling units on, or adjacent to, the multi-family site. That means both a resident's own building and a neighboring property line are protected from glare cast by parking lot or building-mounted fixtures.

The same subsection also has an affirmative requirement, mandating that lighting be provided to illuminate the intersections of primary interior driveways and building entryways, so a development cannot use the shielding rule as an excuse to leave circulation routes dark. Community Development reviews lighting plans as part of site plan approval for multi-family projects under article 10, and a fixture that floods an adjacent lot or an adjoining unit's windows with unshielded light does not meet this standard even if it otherwise satisfies illumination needs for security.

Because the rule sits inside the multi-family design standards, it does not extend to single-family detached lots, agricultural properties, or most commercial development outside a multi-family project; those uses are not subject to a comparable county shielding requirement. A property owner who receives a light trespass complaint about a multi-family site can expect Community Development to evaluate the complained-of fixture against this downward-shielding and non-adjacent-unit standard, with correction required through the standard UDO enforcement process for noncompliant approved plans.