Miami Beach, FL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Sec. 46-250, added to Chapter 46 as Article XII, Light Pollution, by Ordinance No. 2024-4631 on July 24, 2024, prohibits the use of flashing and/or strobing lights, and multidirectional moving light beams, on or emanating from a residential property when the effect unreasonably disturbs the quiet enjoyment of a neighboring resident. Unlike the noise ordinance's escalating warning structure, Sec. 46-250(b) builds a single cure period into the process itself: a code compliance officer who finds a first violation must issue a written warning before any fine, and only if the violation isn't cured within 24 hours does the officer issue a formal notice of violation.

That notice tells the violator the nature of the problem, the fine owed, and that a hearing before a special magistrate must be requested within ten days or the violation is deemed admitted. The rule sits within the same chapter as the city's turtle-lighting and general environmental provisions but is a freestanding residential nuisance-light rule, aimed at things like decorative strobe displays or moving light beams rather than everyday porch or security lighting that merely spills onto a neighbor's yard. It applies citywide to residential properties and isn't limited to the beachfront overlay that governs turtle-season shielding under Article V.