Sampson County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Sec. 2-28-11 of the 2025 Revised Zoning Ordinance is a single, short standard: all lighting must be directed away from adjacent property and roadways, and lighting must be directed onto the individual owner's site only. It sits among the ordinance's Accessory, Temporary, Secondary and Unique Use standards at Sec. 2-28, alongside the pool, fence and accessory-structure rules that apply to the same properties, and it applies countywide in the unincorporated area regardless of zoning district. The ordinance does not set a footcandle limit, a fixture-shielding specification, or a curfew for outdoor lighting; the operative test is simply whether the light spills onto a neighbor's land or the roadway rather than staying on the site that installed it.

Other special-use standards elsewhere in the code layer on more specific lighting duties for particular uses, such as the requirement that RV campgrounds under Sec. 2-31-01 light common areas, sanitary facilities and walkways at night for safety, but the residential and general accessory-use standard in Sec. 2-28-11 is the one that reaches an ordinary homeowner's floodlight, string light or security light aimed at a fence line.