Outdoor Lighting in Iowa (2026)
21 rules on the books across Iowa, 9 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Dark Sky Rules
Ordinances designed to reduce light pollution, including requirements for shielded fixtures, limits on brightness, and curfews for decorative lighting.
Cedar Rapids
Some RestrictionsCedar Rapids requires full cutoff wall-pack fixtures on a building's front or side elevation outside industrial…
Read full rule →Davenport
Some RestrictionsDavenport has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but its zoning code caps outdoor lighting at one foot-candle at any lot…
Read full rule →Iowa City
Some RestrictionsIowa City requires most outdoor bulbs over 2,000 lumens to be fully shielded, bans floodlighting for parking and…
Read full rule →Johnson County
Some RestrictionsJohnson County's UDO includes real Downcast Lighting Regulations for unincorporated land. Outdoor fixtures must be…
Read full rule →Polk County
Some RestrictionsPolk County's zoning ordinance requires every exterior light fixture to use one of three defined cutoff types and caps…
Read full rule →Sioux City
Some RestrictionsSioux City requires full cut-off, downward-directed light fixtures in the Downtown Commercial district, capping pole…
Read full rule →Story County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Story County, any outdoor luminaire rated above 1,800 lumens cannot emit direct light above a…
Read full rule →Linn County
Light RestrictionsLinn County has no blanket dark-sky ordinance, but its zoning code requires off-street parking lighting to be shielded…
Read full rule →Light Trespass & Shielding
Rules preventing outdoor lights from shining onto neighboring homes, shielding and full-cutoff fixture requirements, aiming standards, and footcandle caps at the property line.
Cedar Rapids
Some RestrictionsCedar Rapids caps light trespass from new and redeveloped sites at 0.5 foot-candles at property lines next to…
Read full rule →Davenport
Some RestrictionsDavenport's outdoor security lighting code prohibits light exceeding one foot-candle at a neighbor's property line…
Read full rule →Iowa City
Some RestrictionsIowa City caps how much light can cross a property line under zoning code section 14-5G-4C: no more than 0.5 initial…
Read full rule →Johnson County
Some RestrictionsJohnson County's UDO prohibits outdoor lighting that spills past your property line. Fixtures must be designed so light…
Read full rule →Polk County
Some RestrictionsPolk County caps outdoor lighting on nonresidential property next to homes at 0.2 footcandles measured at the property…
Read full rule →Story County
Some RestrictionsOutdoor light fixtures in unincorporated Story County cannot be aimed so that direct light spills onto residential…
Read full rule →Linn County
Light RestrictionsOff-street parking lot lighting in unincorporated Linn County must point downward and away from homes and public…
Read full rule →Sioux City
Light RestrictionsSioux City's zoning code requires fixed lighting on residential accessory pools and tennis courts to be arranged so…
Read full rule →Billboard Lighting
Lighting standards for outdoor advertising, luminance limits, dwell time, sky-glow mitigation, and curfew hours after which billboards must dim or shut off.
Black Hawk County
Heavy RestrictionsIn the agricultural and residential zoning districts of unincorporated Black Hawk County, Iowa, outdoor advertising…
Read full rule →Iowa City
Heavy RestrictionsIowa City's zoning code flatly bans illumination on billboards and other off-premises signs. Under Table 5B-6 of the…
Read full rule →Cedar Rapids
Some RestrictionsCedar Rapids allows billboard illumination only if the lighting is non-flashing and shielded so no beams or rays hit…
Read full rule →Sioux City
Some RestrictionsSioux City lets off-premise advertising signs (billboards) be lit, but the light cannot flash, and citywide…
Read full rule →Polk County
Light RestrictionsEvery illuminated sign in unincorporated Polk County, including billboards, has to divert glare and keep light from…
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