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

Article 50's illumination rules apply to every sign the county allows to be lit, from a wall sign on a shopping center to an off-premise billboard along Highway 74. Section 50.070 sets a numeric ceiling: light trespass from an illuminated sign cannot raise the light level along a right-of-way line, or along any property line of a lot with a residential dwelling, more than 0.5 foot-candles above the ambient light already present. The measurement point is fixed by the ordinance too, taken 3 feet above grade or from the top of any fence or wall running along the property line, so a taller privacy fence can be used as the measuring plane.

A separate shielding requirement applies on top of the numeric cap: any light fixture aimed at a sign must be shielded so it illuminates only the sign's face, and it cannot shine directly into a public right-of-way or onto an abutting property. Because this standard sits in the general Illumination section of Article 50, it governs every sign type covered elsewhere in the article, including monument signs, wall signs, and the off-premise billboards permitted in the HC district along Highway 74 under Section 50.060. A sign owner adding or upgrading lighting has to test the fixture against both the 0.5 foot-candle limit and the shielding rule before installing it.