Tallahassee, FL Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Trespass cap
- 0.5 footcandles at property line
- Measured height
- 6 feet above ground
- Triggers
- Non-residential/dense residential next to protected residential
- Required proof
- Sealed photometric plan on 10-ft grid
- Fixture setback rule
- Shield/aim away within 10 ft of line
- Exemption
- Existing nonconforming or isolated small residential parcels
Summary
When a non-residential or dense-residential project in Tallahassee sits next to or across the street from a protected residential property, Land Development Code § 10-427(c)(3)b caps light trespass at 0.5 footcandles measured six feet above grade at the property line, and the developer must prove it with a sealed photometric plan before the city will issue a final site plan.
The following lighting standards apply when a non-residential or dense residential land use is adjacent or across a public street from a property which is protected residential....Trespass. Light trespass shall not exceed 0.5 footcandles, as measured at 6 feet above ground level at the property line.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-427(c)(3) defines 'protected residential' as any single-family, duplex or triplex property developed at eight units per acre or less, plus vacant land zoned RP-1, RP-2, RP-MH, RP-R, RP-UF, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-5, UF, LP, MH or RA. Wherever a non-residential or 'dense residential' project (a building on a lot over half an acre at more than 14 units per acre) is adjacent to or across a public street from one of those properties, the Lighting Standards table in § 10-427(c)(3)b governs: 'Trespass. ' That numeric trespass cap applies only to sites directly adjacent to protected residential; sites merely across the street from it are held instead to the table's full-cutoff, mounting-height and shielding rows.
Fixtures within ten feet of a protected residential boundary must be aimed away from the line and shielded on the side nearest it. 5-footcandle ceiling will hold at the property line. The trespass standard doesn't reach sites already occupied by a legally existing nonconforming use, or isolated protected-residential parcels of one or two units surrounded by non-residential zoning or use, per § 10-427(c)(3)g. The city's land use and environmental services inspector confirms as-built compliance before final inspection or certificate of occupancy under § 10-427(c)(3)e.
Violations & Fines
A site that exceeds 0.5 footcandles at a protected residential property line fails its photometric review, and the city will not sign off on the final site plan or certificate of occupancy until the lighting is corrected. Redevelopment or a change of use that triggers Type A or Type B review must bring existing lighting into compliance with the trespass limit as part of that review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can spill onto my property from a commercial site next door?
What has to happen before a new development next to my house gets its site plan approved?
Does the light trespass limit apply to a business across the street from my house?
Are any properties exempt from the light trespass standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tallahassee to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
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