Little Rock, AR Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- Reflect light away from residential zones
- Applies to
- O-1–O-3 office & C-1–C-4 commercial zones
- Overlay districts
- Full cutoff fixtures, 20-ft max height
- Enforcement
- Site plan / building permit review
Summary
City zoning code requires lighting on office and commercial properties to be aimed away from neighboring residential districts, with stricter footcandle limits and full cutoff fixtures required inside Midtown, Hillcrest, and other design overlay districts.
Any lighting shall be so placed so as to reflect away from adjacent residential districts. No excessive or unusual noise, odor or vibration shall be emitted so that it constitutes a nuisance which substantially exceeds the general level of noise, odor or vibration emitted by uses adjacent to or immediately surrounding the site. Such comparison shall be made at the boundary of the site.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83).
Full Breakdown
Little Rock's zoning code doesn't set a single citywide light-pollution ordinance, but its general district restrictions require that any lighting on O-1/O-2/O-3 office and C-1 through C-4 commercial properties be placed to reflect away from adjacent residential districts, measured as a nuisance at the site boundary (Sec. 36-278, Sec. 36-298). Inside the city's design overlay districts, Midtown, Hillcrest, Presidential Park, and the Granite Mountain Corridor, lighting plans go further: full cutoff fixtures only, mounting heights capped at 20 feet, and footcandle ceilings (e.g., 4.0 fc max for parking areas) reviewed against nationally accepted dark-sky principles before a building permit issues.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant lighting can block site plan approval or building permit issuance; in overlay districts, staff review the required lighting plan and luminance grid before permits are issued, and existing fixtures exceeding limits must be brought into compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Little Rock have a light pollution ordinance?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Little Rock
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