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

Lynnwood Municipal Code Section 8.40.0510(D) targets light trespass directly: any outdoor lighting installation or fixture located in or within 50 feet of a residential zone must be no higher than 15 feet above grade, and it must be designed and shielded in a manner so that the fixture does not directly illuminate on adjacent residentially zoned property. The code adds that fixtures should be of a type or adequately shielded so as to prevent glare from normal viewing angles, pushing installers toward full-cutoff or shielded fixtures rather than bare floodlights aimed across a property line.

The same section backs the shielding rule up with a landscaping option: where feasible, the city can require additional planting between a commercial and a residential zone specifically to screen light, and when landscaping is used for that purpose the city weighs the site's existing landscaping standards and citywide design guidelines in deciding how much is enough. Section 8.40.0510(B) layers a citywide baseline on top of the 50-foot buffer, requiring that light trespass onto adjacent residential properties be minimized and that site lighting minimize light spillage into the night sky on every project subject to the outdoor lighting article, not only the ones within 50 feet of a house.

The height and shielding restrictions do not apply to sport and recreation lighting, playfields or outdoor performance areas, except where those fixtures sit within 50 feet of a residentially zoned property line, in which case the standard 15-foot height and shielding rule kicks back in.