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

2-621 triggers the standards whenever a basic or comprehensive development plan is filed, a new light support structure taller than 8 feet is erected, or new floodlights or spotlights go up on an existing structure in a residentially zoned district; simply changing a bulb or ballast on an existing fixture is not a 'replacement' and stays exempt. 2-625, all fixtures must be fully shielded and aimed so no glare reaches abutting lots or streets, and no fixture may shine directly into a neighboring dwelling or expose its arc tube at the property line.

Pole-mounted lighting in residential districts, the MX Mixed Use District, and the IN Institutional District must sit at least 10 feet off any lot line and top out at 18 feet, measured from the lowest light-emitting point to grade. In other districts the ceiling rises to 35 feet, but any pole within 30 feet of a residential lot line needs a house-side shield. 2-622 carves out narrow exemptions: motion-sensor security lights running 15 minutes or less, landscape lighting under 2 feet, and floodlights on buildings of one to eight dwellings if mounted below the eaves and aimed to avoid glare and spill trespass. 2-624 showing fixture locations, mounting heights, cut sheets, and aiming angles before the Zoning Administrator will approve it.