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

Wayne County Zoning Ordinance § 99 sets the illumination standard the county applies to sign lighting under Article IX: any exterior light directed at a sign has to be shielded so it illuminates only the face of the sign, and it cannot shine directly into or cause glare onto a public right-of-way or any adjacent property. The section adds a second, separate shielding requirement: the light source itself has to be blocked from direct view from any residence, residential district, or public right-of-way, which stops a fixture from acting as a glare source even when it is not aimed at traffic or a neighbor's yard.

Section 99 also requires every illuminated sign to carry the seal of a nationally recognized electrical testing laboratory and be installed according to the North Carolina Building Code, with all wiring to freestanding signs or lighting equipment run underground. Internal sign lighting is limited to silhouette lighting from behind, or internally lit glass or plastic message faces, with an exception for exposed neon tubing rated 15 watts or less. This is the county's lighting-shielding rule for signage specifically; it sits inside the sign article rather than a freestanding outdoor lighting or site-lighting ordinance, so it governs light cast by sign fixtures rather than general property floodlights or security lighting.