Rogers, AR Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

Light trespass — unwanted spillover of light onto neighboring property — is addressed in Section 5.7 of the Rogers Unified Development Code. The key spillover standard (Sec. 5.7.4) provides that illumination 'shall not exceed 2 footcandles at the property line,' giving the city a measurable threshold for enforcement. The same provision requires that fixtures 'must be full cut-off shielded downward and the light source shall not be visible from off-site' and be 'evenly distributed across the site being illuminated,' which limits glare and off-site visibility in addition to measured footcandles. Prohibited lighting (Sec. 5.7.5) includes flashing, blinking, fluctuating, or animated devices. The standards do not apply to every property: the exemptions (Sec. 5.7.3) include detached and attached houses, so a typical homeowner's porch or yard light is not subject to the 2-footcandle property-line cap — though neighbors with a glare or nuisance complaint may still raise it with the city. Motion-sensor security lighting is exempt subject to a duration limit, and architectural/landscape lighting is exempt only when directed at the feature itself. For commercial, institutional, and larger multi-family sites, the 2-footcandle limit and full-cutoff requirement are typically verified during site-plan review and can be enforced afterward if lighting spills onto adjoining lots. Arkansas does not provide a statewide light-trespass standard, so these Rogers provisions govern. Confirm fixture aiming and property-line readings with Community Development.