Outdoor Lighting in Nebraska (2026)
8 rules on the books across Nebraska, 4 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.
Douglas County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Douglas County caps light standards at 35 feet and requires hooded, glare-shielded fixtures on new…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha requires exterior light fixtures to be full-cutoff luminaires that throw zero candela at 90 degrees above nadir…
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.
Douglas County
Some RestrictionsIn Douglas County's Highway Corridor Gateway Overlay along Highways 36 and 92, new commercial, office and industrial…
Read full rule →Lancaster County
Some RestrictionsA special-permit recreation facility in Lancaster County's AG or AGR districts cannot cast more than 2.0 foot-candles…
Read full rule →Lincoln
Some RestrictionsLincoln has no citywide dark-sky ordinance, but private landing strips permitted in AG and AGR districts must shield…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsOmaha's zoning code limits how much light a property's exterior lighting can throw onto the property line: 0.5…
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.
Lincoln
Some RestrictionsOff-premises signs (billboards) in Lincoln cannot be illuminated between midnight and 5 a.m., except for government…
Read full rule →Omaha
Some RestrictionsElectronic off-premises signs (digital billboards) in Omaha are capped at 5,200 nits by day and 500 nits from dusk to…
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