Norfolk limits light spilling onto neighboring property through its Zoning Ordinance lighting standards and general nuisance rules. Virginia has no statewide light-trespass statute, so a bothered neighbor relies on city code or a common-law nuisance claim.
Light trespass, where a fixture throws glare or illumination onto someone else's property, is addressed in Norfolk mainly through the Zoning Ordinance's outdoor lighting standards (Ord. No. 47,116, effective March 1, 2018), which cap spillover at property lines for reviewed development and require fixtures to be shielded and aimed downward. Virginia sets no statewide light-trespass law, so for an existing home fixture the city's tools are limited. A resident in Ghent, Larchmont, or Ocean View bothered by a neighbor's floodlight can ask code enforcement whether the lighting standards or a nuisance provision apply, and can separately bring a common-law private-nuisance claim asking a court to order an unreasonable light shielded, redirected, or dimmed.
For a reviewed project, Norfolk's zoning administrator can require a spillover-violating fixture to be reshielded or redirected. For existing home lighting, the practical remedy is often a common-law private-nuisance suit rather than a city citation.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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