Waynesville, MO Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 405.667 defines trespass lighting as light emitted by a luminaire that falls outside the boundaries of the property where the fixture sits, and then sets a numeric ceiling for it inside the Military Lighting Overlay District covering land within five miles of Fort Leonard Wood. In residential areas, trespass lighting measured at the property line cannot exceed 1.5 foot-candles, except that intermittent motion-sensor lighting can reach 2 foot-candles because it stays on for no more than five minutes at a time. Commercial trespass lighting measured at the property line is capped at 2.5 foot-candles, and commercial fixtures of 2 foot-candles or more must also meet the district's full cutoff shielding standard.

The overlay adds a curfew on top of the foot-candle ceiling: aside from lighting needed for security and safety, such as parking lot illumination, a business must turn off any outdoor light producing more than 2 foot-candles after 11:00 p.m. Floodlights must be aimed so no light radiates above the horizontal plane, checked with a City-specified tool, and parking lots and parking structure top decks must dim or switch off at least half their luminaires one hour after closing, though those fixtures can run on a motion detector or dimmer instead.

The City Administrator administers Section 405.667 and can grant a variance for undue hardship, while lighting installed before the district's designation is exempt as a legal nonconforming luminaire.