Raleigh, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential property-line cap
- 0.5 maintained footcandles (Sec. 7.4.4)
- Street right-of-way cap
- 2.0 maintained footcandles (Sec. 7.4.4)
- Recreation field cap
- 0.4 footcandle at property line (Sec. 7.4.8)
- Sports lighting curfew
- 10 p.m. Sun-Thu, 11 p.m. Fri-Sat near homes
- Banned fixtures
- Cobra-head dished lenses, searchlights (Sec. 7.4.3)
- First citation penalty
- $100 civil penalty, due within 48 hours
Summary
Raleigh caps how much light can spill off a property under UDO Sec. 7.4.4: no outdoor fixture may exceed 0.5 maintained footcandles at a Residential District's property line or 2.0 footcandles at a street right-of-way, and no fixture may be oriented to direct glare onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks. Freestanding fixtures must run on underground service connections.
Sec. 7.4.4. Design and Installation Requirements All light fixtures shall meet the following requirements: The maximum light level of any light fixture cannot exceed 0.5 footcandles measured at the property line of any Residential District and 2.0 footcandles measured at the right-of-way line of a street. Lighting must not be oriented so as to direct glare or excessive illumination onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks. Service connections for all freestanding lighting fixtures must be installed underground.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 2 defines how the city measures compliance: light levels are specified in maintained footcandles, read at ground level with the meter's light-registering face held parallel to the ground and pointing up. Sec. 0 footcandles at a street right-of-way, bars glare or excessive illumination directed onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks, and requires freestanding fixture service connections to run underground. Sec. 3 bans specific spill-prone sources outright: cobra-head fixtures with dished or drop lenses containing non-incandescent sources, temporary searchlights and other high-intensity narrow-beam fixtures, and light sources that lack color correction or don't allow for uniform site lighting.
Outdoor recreation fields and performance areas get a tighter numeric cap under Sec. m. m. Friday and Saturday; in every other district the lighting system must shut off within 1 hour after the game or event ends. A site lighting permit under Sec. 1 requires a point-by-point footcandle printout demonstrating compliance with these ceilings before any fixture is installed or changed.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the footcandle ceilings or running a prohibited fixture is a Chapter 7 violation under Sec. 10.4.1, cited under Sec. 10.4.2 with a $100 civil penalty payable within 48 hours. Nonpayment adds a $25 penalty plus a $100 administrative fee under Sec. 10.4.3, and an uncorrected violation after written notice draws a $500-per-day continuing civil penalty until the light is brought into compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much outdoor light spill does Raleigh allow onto a neighbor's property?
Are searchlights or cobra-head lights legal in Raleigh?
Is there a curfew for stadium or sports field lighting near homes?
What's the penalty for exceeding Raleigh's outdoor lighting footcandle limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Raleigh
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