Sandy, UT Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Sandy City Code § 21-23-11, part of the Commercial, Office, Industrial, and Transit Corridor Development Standards chapter, governs site lighting for non-residential development citywide. It permits floodlights, spotlights and reflectors to illuminate buildings, landscaping, signage, parking and loading areas only when fitted with lenses or shields that concentrate the light on the intended target rather than letting it scatter. The 'Light Spill' clause specifically forbids any unshielded light, reflector, spotlight, strobe light or search light positioned so it points toward, or is directly visible from, a public right-of-way, and requires all site lighting to be shielded and directed downward so light does not spill beyond the property line.

Unshielded, wall-mounted floodlights, commonly called wall packs, are outright prohibited regardless of shielding elsewhere on the fixture. The section further requires that light intensity be controlled so neighboring areas are not adversely affected by glare or excessive brightness, and it mandates pole-mounted fixtures for parking lots and lighting along pedestrian pathways, while encouraging color-corrected, high-pressure sodium (white light) fixtures. All lighting design, fixture types and locations must be shown on site development drawings submitted for review. This standard sits alongside a parallel, narrower rule for small wireless facilities under § 21-11-25, which separately requires SWF lighting to be shielded or directed to minimize glare falling on nearby residences, but § 21-23-11 is the operative citywide site-lighting/light-trespass rule for commercial and industrial development.