Richmond, VA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 30-670, the sole section of Division 8, "Outdoor Lighting," in the zoning ordinance's Article VI supplemental regulations, sets Richmond's baseline standard for accessory lighting: it must be located, directed, or shielded so it does not shine directly on adjoining properties, and it cannot create a traffic hazard through glare or by resembling a traffic signal, warning light, or emergency vehicle light. The rule reaches any outdoor lighting installed as accessory to a use, homes, businesses, and institutional properties alike, and it is written as a performance standard rather than a numeric limit, so there is no footcandle ceiling or fixture-height cap in § 30-670 itself the way there is for parking-lot lighting.

5 horizontal footcandle at any property line abutting an R or RO district, cannot exceed a 15:1 maximum-to-minimum ratio, and fixtures must be shielded so all light projects below the horizontal plane of the fixture. Section 30-503(3) applies a parallel rule to illuminated signs, requiring the light source to be located, directed, or shielded so it does not shine directly on adjoining properties or streets. Together these sections mean a Richmond property owner installing a floodlight, sign light, or parking-lot fixture has to aim and shield it away from the neighbor's yard and the street, not just avoid a specific brightness number.