Shawnee County, KS Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Regs Sec. 39.06(d)
- Trigger
- Site plan review required
- Exempt
- Single-family, two-family, tri-plex
- Alteration threshold
- Over 15,000 sq ft
- Enforcer
- County zoning administrator
- Adopted
- Aug. 31, 2006, HR 2006-8
- Amended through
- Oct. 8, 2012, HR 2012-8
Summary
Shawnee County's zoning regulations require every reviewed site plan to shield its light sources so no illumination spills onto adjoining properties. Zoning Regulations Sec. 39.06(d) also bars lighting that creates a traffic-safety hazard, and the zoning administrator enforces the standard when a site plan is required.
Lighting. All site plans shall provide adequate lighting so as to assure safety and security. Lighting installations shall not have an adverse impact on traffic safety or on the surrounding area. Light sources shall be shielded, and there shall be no spillover onto adjacent properties.
Full Breakdown
Shawnee County Zoning Regulations Sec. 06(d), General Performance Guidelines, tells the planning director what to weigh when a site plan comes in for review: "All site plans shall provide adequate lighting so as to assure safety and security. Lighting installations shall not have an adverse impact on traffic safety or on the surrounding area. " That duty attaches whenever site plan review applies, and Sec. 03 sets the trigger: any new construction of a principal structure that needs a building permit in any zoning district other than single-family, two-family, and tri-plex uses (which are expressly exempted), plus any alteration exceeding 15,000 square feet to an existing structure on improved real estate.
A site plan is also required anywhere else in the regulations that expressly cross-references site plan review under Sec. 03(d). Practically, that means commercial, multi-family, industrial, and institutional development in unincorporated Shawnee County must shield fixtures and aim them so glare and spillover do not cross the lot line, while a standalone single-family or duplex lot is not itself subject to the site-plan lighting check. Sec. 11 assigns enforcement to the Shawnee County zoning administrator, who is directed to enforce the regulations "through proper legal channels," with other county department officials required to report apparent or alleged violations to that office.
R. Resolution No. 2006-8 and carry amendments through October 8, 2012 (HR 2012-8 markers); this lighting provision is cited as it reads in that amended text.
Violations & Fines
A site plan that fails to shield fixtures or that lets light spill onto a neighboring lot can be rejected or held up by the planning director during review under Sec. 39.06(d), since adequate, non-spilling lighting is one of the listed performance guidelines a site plan must satisfy. The zoning administrator handles enforcement under Sec. 1.11 through proper legal channels, and a denial or condition placed on a site plan over a lighting deficiency can be appealed to the Shawnee County Board of Zoning Appeals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shawnee County require shielded outdoor lighting?
Does this lighting rule apply to a single-family home?
Who enforces the county's light-shielding requirement?
Can a lighting-related site plan decision be appealed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shawnee County
Compare Shawnee County to another location·View the Kansas outdoor lighting overview
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