Pearland, TX Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

" The code makes the shielding mechanics explicit: light rays leaving the fixture, whether directly from the lamp or reflected from the fixture housing, must be projected below a horizontal plane running through the lowest point of the fixture where light is emitted. That is the standard drafters use to keep glare from crossing onto an adjacent lot rather than staying on the site that installed the light. The same subsection caps fixture and mounting-structure height at twenty feet, or the height of the building the lighting serves, whichever number is smaller, so a tall pole cannot be used to throw light farther across a property line.

This standard sits inside the Residential Retail Nodes article of Chapter 2: Zoning Regulations, alongside that district's parking, screening and outside-use rules, because these nodes are deliberately placed next to single-family neighborhoods and the UDC's purpose clause for the district calls for preserving neighborhood stability and minimizing impact on surroundings. The Planning Department reviews lighting plans as part of site plan approval for a Residential Retail Node project before a certificate of occupancy issues. 2 rather than simply ignoring the requirement.