Lewisville, TX Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 9-3(a) of the Lewisville Code of Ordinances, part of Chapter 9's nuisance provisions, makes it unlawful for a property owner to locate and use any visible source of illumination that produces intense glare or direct illumination across a bounding property line. Subsection (a)(1) adds that no light may be intense enough to create a nuisance or detract from a neighbor's normal use and enjoyment of their property, and subsection (a)(2) converts that standard into a measurable test: a nuisance is defined as 0.4 of one foot-candle of light measured at the property line. That numeric threshold lets code officers confirm a complaint with a light meter rather than relying on subjective description.

The same section, amended in 2019 by Ordinance No. 0121-19-ORD, also bans LED strip lighting, LED module lighting and rope lighting outlining windows, doors, individual tenant spaces, or architectural features other than a full roofline, though that portion of Sec. 9-3(b) addresses decorative lighting rather than glare and is enforced separately (temporary holiday displays are instead governed by Sec. 11-13). For glare and light-trespass complaints specifically, the operative test remains the 0.4 foot-candle reading at the boundary line under subsection (a).

Chapter 9 is enforced through the city's nuisance notice-and-compliance process in Sec. 9-41 through 9-44: the director of community development, or a designee, can serve written notice of noncompliance, and unresolved violations can be abated by the city with costs and a lien assessed against the property.