Memphis, TN Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- UDC §§ 4.7.1, 4.7.3.A.1.b, Table C-1
- Backlight cap near line
- B0 rating inside 0.5 mounting heights of line
- Property line adjustment
- +5 feet where line abuts a public walkway/plaza
- Exempt
- single- and two-family residential lighting
- Applies to
- Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County jointly
- Enforced by
- Zoning Administrator lighting-plan review at permitting
Summary
Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County require non-residential and multi-family site lighting to stay off neighboring land under the joint Unified Development Code. The Backlight rating in Table C-1 tightens the closer a fixture sits to a property line, and glare ratings do the same, so spillover onto an adjacent lot is capped by distance and orientation rather than left to the installer's judgment.
Lighting design and installation shall ensure that lighting accomplishes on-site lighting needs without intrusion on adjacent properties. ... b. Minimize adverse offsite impacts of lighting such as light trespass and obtrusive light ... b. Limits to Off Site Impacts All luminaires shall be rated and installed according to Maximum Allowable Backlight, Uplight and Glare (BUG) Ratings (Tables C). For property lines that abut public walkways, bikeways, plazas, and parking lots, the property line may be considered to be 5 feet beyond the actual property line for purpose of determining compliance with this section.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
' Table C-1 grades every fixture's Backlight rating against its distance from the property line. A luminaire more than two mounting heights from the line can carry up to a B5 rating in Lighting Zone 3, but one sitting less than half a mounting height from the line, aimed toward it, is capped at B0 in every zone (B1 in LZ-3). Table C-3 applies the same distance-based tightening to glare, dropping to G0 for any fixture within two mounting heights of a property line that is not aimed with its backlight perpendicular to that line.
A footnote to Table C-1 lets a site treat a property line abutting a public walkway, bikeway, plaza or parking lot as 5 feet beyond the actual line, and treat a line abutting a public roadway or transit corridor as the roadway centerline, when measuring compliance; that adjustment cannot be used to expand the lit area. ' Single-family and two-family home lighting, and lighting for public right-of-way, monuments and signage, fall outside this chapter.
Violations & Fines
A lighting plan with fixture cut sheets goes to the Zoning Administrator before permit issuance; a design that fails the Table C-1 Backlight or Table C-3 Glare rating for its distance from a property line is grounds for plan rejection. Owners cannot install adjustable-aim luminaires to work around the rating. Nonconforming fixtures on a site abandoned 30 months or more must be brought into full compliance before the property is used again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Memphis business's parking lot lights shine onto my yard?
Does this light trespass rule apply inside the City of Memphis or just the county?
What if my property line runs along a sidewalk or parking lot, not another yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Memphis
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