Lane County, OR Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Goshen GI/LI zones only
- Trespass ban
- Light must not glare onto neighboring land
- Citation
- LC 16.280(14)(e)(ix)
- Exempt lighting
- Low-wattage driveway/landscape lights if shielded
- Unshielded fixtures
- Violate the ordinance under (e)(x)
- Enforcement
- LC Chapter 5 civil penalty, accrues daily
Summary
Lane Code defines "shielding" for outdoor fixtures in the Goshen Industrial and Light Industrial zones so that emitted light is directed downward below the horizontal plane and does not shine direct illumination or glare onto abutting or nearby property. A fixture that lacks any means to keep light off a neighbor's land is "unshielded" and fails the standard adopted under LC 16.280(14).
Shielding. "Shielding" means an externally applied device such as a shroud or hood of metal, wood, opaque plastic or opaque painted glass so that light emitted by the fixture is directed downward below the horizontal plane onto the site and does not shine direct illumination or glare onto abutting or nearby property.
Full Breakdown
280(14)(e)(ix) defines shielding as an externally applied device, such as a shroud or hood of metal, wood, opaque plastic or opaque painted glass, that directs a fixture's light downward onto the site so it does not shine direct illumination or glare onto abutting or nearby property. 280(14)(e)(x) covers any fixture lacking a means to restrict emitted light below the horizontal plane or to keep it from shining or glaring onto a neighbor's land. 280(14)(c)(i) already bars new fixtures from shining direct illumination or glare onto abutting properties, and even light fixtures the ordinance exempts from full compliance still have to clear it.
280(14)(d)(iii). 280(5) confines all of this to property zoned General Industrial or Light Industrial inside the unincorporated community of Goshen; it is not a countywide light-trespass rule.
Violations & Fines
Lane County Land Management enforces the anti-glare standard under Lane Code Chapter 5's administrative enforcement program. A Notice of Failure to Comply starts a civil penalty accruing daily under LC 5.025.030 for as long as a fixture keeps shining onto a neighboring property, running until the shielding is fixed. The property owner has 10 business days to appeal in writing to the Hearings Official under LC 5.025.035 before the county pursues collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "light trespass" mean under Lane Code?
Are driveway and landscape string lights exempt from the anti-glare rule?
Does this anti-glare rule apply to homes outside Goshen?
What is the practical difference between a shielded and an unshielded fixture?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lane County
Compare Lane County to another location·View the Oregon outdoor lighting overview
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