Gwinnett County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

1 sets the lighting standard for every non-residential and multifamily development's parking areas and pedestrian walkways in unincorporated Gwinnett County. 1 requires all parking-area fixtures to be cutoff luminaries whose source is completely concealed with an opaque housing, recessed into that housing, and specifically bans drop dish refractors. 2 is the light-trespass rule: the light source must be an LED, with any alternate source needing the Director's approval and a single light source type used per site, and fixtures must be mounted in such a manner that the cone of the light is not directed at any property line of sight, which is the operative language keeping glare off neighboring parcels.

3 setting maximum pole heights by overlay district, as low as 35 feet in most areas or 50 feet in the Mall of Georgia and Civic Center overlay. 0 maximum-average for multifamily lots and walkways, so a site can't blast light at its perimeter even with compliant fixtures. Decorative accent lighting for an outdoor courtyard, activity plaza or dining patio is exempt from the whole section under subsection B. These standards were adopted with the UDO rewrite, Ord. No. UDOA2023-00002, effective September 26, 2023.