Sammamish, WA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SMC 25.06.020(6) Light and Glare
- Coverage area
- Lake Sammamish, Pine, Beaver Lake shorelines only
- Fixture requirement
- Full cutoff devices/light shields required
- Reviewing department
- Community Development, shoreline permits
- Enforcement basis
- Chapter 173-27 WAC via SMC 25.08.120
Summary
Within Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction along Lake Sammamish, Pine Lake, and Beaver Lake, SMC 25.06.020(6) bars exterior lighting from shining directly onto the water and requires full cutoff fixtures with light shields so glare or direct illumination onto the lake is minimized. The rule governs shoreline permits reviewed by community development, not general residential lighting citywide.
(6) Light and Glare. Exterior lighting shall not shine directly onto the water. Exterior lighting fixtures shall include full cutoff devices (light shields) such that glare or direct illumination onto the lake is minimized.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance O2026-598, and legislation passed through August 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
005). 020, requires that exterior lighting shall not shine directly onto the water and that exterior lighting fixtures include full cutoff devices, or light shields, so that glare or direct illumination onto the lake is minimized. 08 SMC. Because the standard is written to protect the lake surface and adjacent aquatic habitat rather than neighboring parcels generally, it functions as a shoreline light-and-glare control rather than a citywide light-trespass ordinance; the reviewed sections of the Sammamish Municipal Code do not contain a separate residential light-trespass or nuisance-lighting section outside the shoreline chapters.
Applicants proposing docks, waterfront residences, or accessory structures within 50 feet of Lake Sammamish's ordinary high water mark (45 feet on Pine and Beaver Lakes) must show fixture cutoff compliance as part of permit review by the community development department. 120.
Violations & Fines
A shoreline permit that omits full cutoff lighting can be denied or conditioned by the community development department before approval. Once built, a fixture that shines directly onto the lake is a shoreline program violation, enforced under the WAC 173-27 penalty provisions adopted by SMC 25.08.120, which can include a stop-work order and a required retrofit of shielded fixtures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sammamish regulate light spilling onto a neighbor's yard citywide?
What fixtures satisfy the shoreline lighting rule?
Who enforces the shoreline lighting standard and what happens if I don't comply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sammamish
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