Outdoor Lighting in Kansas (2026)
18 rules on the books across Kansas, 7 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.
Olathe
Some RestrictionsOlathe requires full cut-off light fixtures producing no light above 90 degrees from nadir for parking lots over 20…
Read full rule →Overland Park
Some RestrictionsOverland Park has no dark-sky ordinance and no DarkSky International designation. Chapter 18.435, adopted in 2024, does…
Read full rule →Sedgwick County
Some RestrictionsThe Unified Zoning Code has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but UZC Sec. IV-B.4 requires outdoor lighting to use cut-off…
Read full rule →Wichita
Some RestrictionsWichita's Unified Zoning Code requires outdoor lighting on nonresidential development, base, pole and fixture alike, to…
Read full rule →Wyandotte County
Some RestrictionsInside the 47th and Mission Road Area Design Review Overlay District, Wyandotte County requires every exterior…
Read full rule →Shawnee County
Light RestrictionsShawnee County bans lighting on communication towers except what the FAA requires for aviation safety, and any security…
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.
Overland Park
Heavy RestrictionsMaintained vertical illuminance at the property line of residentially zoned property cannot exceed 0.5 footcandles…
Read full rule →Olathe
Some RestrictionsOlathe bans outdoor lighting on private property that throws glare or direct illumination across a property line in a…
Read full rule →Sedgwick County
Some RestrictionsUnder Unified Zoning Code Sec. IV-B.4, outdoor lighting must use cut-off fixtures to minimize light trespass and glare…
Read full rule →Shawnee County
Some RestrictionsShawnee County's zoning regulations require every reviewed site plan to shield its light sources so no illumination…
Read full rule →Topeka
Some RestrictionsTopeka caps off-street parking lot lighting at three foot-candles measured at the property line and requires fixtures…
Read full rule →Wichita
Some RestrictionsWichita's zoning code requires outdoor lighting fixtures on nonresidential development to use cut-off luminaires, cap…
Read full rule →Wyandotte County
Some RestrictionsWyandotte County caps light spilling onto residential neighbors at one foot-candle measured at the property line. Sec…
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.
Overland Park
Some RestrictionsBillboards in Overland Park need a Special Use Permit and can only carry indirect or non-illuminated lighting under the…
Read full rule →Sedgwick County
Some RestrictionsEvery billboard erected in unincorporated Sedgwick County must have its lighting shielded so it does not throw…
Read full rule →Topeka
Some RestrictionsTopeka requires electronic billboard displays to hold each message at least eight seconds with no flashing or…
Read full rule →Wichita
Some RestrictionsIlluminated signs near a Residential Zoning District, including off-site billboards, must go dark from 11 p.m. to 7…
Read full rule →Wyandotte County
Some RestrictionsIlluminated and digital billboards in Wyandotte County must go dark on a curfew and stay under a strict brightness cap…
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