Monroe County, FL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Monroe County's Land Development Code devotes Article VI of Chapter 114 entirely to outdoor lighting, and the standards are built around keeping light on the property that generates it. Section 114-160 caps mounting height at 18 feet for noncutoff fixtures and 35 feet for cutoff fixtures (up to 70 feet for public athletic facilities, though little league fields at the Key Largo Community Park top out at 60 feet), and every fixture must be shielded so no light escapes above a 45-degree angle toward the ground.

5 footcandles from cutoff lights, and any nonresidential or multifamily project of three units or more must submit a photometric lighting plan showing compliance before a site plan is approved. Section 114-162 adds a direct shielding duty for commercial and industrial lighting: fixtures serving nonresidential uses must be located, screened, or shielded so adjacent residential lots are not directly illuminated, closing the gap between a numeric limit and an actual glare complaint from a neighbor. Because the Keys are sea turtle nesting habitat, Section 114-159 layers the sea turtle protection provisions of Chapter 12, Article V on top of these standards, and Section 114-163 pushes the rules further within 25 feet of any body of water: fixtures there must be cutoff type no higher than 18 feet, use long-wavelength light at or above 560 nanometers, and never emit red or green light. Section 114-164 requires nonconforming lighting to be brought into compliance to the greatest extent practicable whenever a property changes use, redevelops, or expands.