If your municipality has an outdoor lighting ordinance, please Contact Us.  Also check with your city secretary or P & Z department for existing ordinances to start from.  Ask them to search for these key words: Light Pollution, Outdoor Lighting, Exterior Lighting, Glare, Light Trespass, Signs, Parking Lots, Roadways, Sidewalks

Many Texas municipalities have some sort of outdoor lighting ordinance or outdoor lighting restrictions in place. The newest ordinances are being passed in Hill Country towns that are becoming more concerned about dark skies and how they foster a better "hill country environment." If you live in a Hill Country town, be sure to strike up a conversation with some fellow townsfolk about dark skies and share with them the knowledge you have found here.  

Texas municipalities with specific Outdoor Lighting or Light Pollution Ordinances:
 

• Flower Mound (7/97)

• Plano (4/00)

• Alpine (5/00)

• Dripping Springs (1/7/2000) (PDF file download)

• Glen Rose (5/01)

• Harker Heights (spring/summer 2002)  

• Frisco (Nov. 2000)

• Jeff Davis County (McDonald Observatory)  (2002?)

• Fort Bend County (George Observatory) 3/23/04

• Midland (2007)

• Village of Wimberly (2001) 

• Helotes (July 7, 2006)   (Microsoft Word Document)

• Austin (January 2007)   To read the code, scroll down to pages 4 and 58-60 of the PDF document

• El Paso: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/sitemap.asp  Then click on MUNICIPAL CODE and go to Chapter 18:18 Outdoor lighting Code.

• El Paso sunset clause: http://www.elpasotexas.gov/sitemap.asp , then click on El Paso On-line Services/El Paso Municipal Code/Chapter 18:18 Outdoor Lighting Code/ Section 18.18.310 Non conformance/ paragraph D is the 'Sunset Clause', saying that "All existing outdoor lighting fixtures shall be brought into compliance with the shielding standards of Section 18.18.070 not later than May 7, 2015." The ordinance was effective on May 7, 2005.

• Boerne (June 2008) (PDF file download)

• Bexar County; San Antonio (July 2008)

• Bulverde (Near San Antonio) (2003) (PDF file download)

• San Antonio (December 2008) (PDF file download)

• ***NEW*** Port Aransas (June 2009) (PDF file download)

• ***NEW*** Marfa (2000) (PDF file download)
              
  

Under Development:

• Fairview (6/03)

• Cedar Hill (2/05)

• Blanco (4/08)

• Brazoria County (George Observatory) (1/05) See: http://people.consolidated.net/tovinder/light_ord.htm

Five excellent ordinances to use for now as guidelines include:

1. Hailey, Idaho (http://www.haileycityhall.org);                 
2. Ketchum, Idaho (http://www.scn.org/darksky/code/id/ketcdrlo)
3. Eagle, Colorado (go to LiteLynx list on Links page and click on Local Laws/Colorado/Eagle/pp.4-13 'Lighting Standards'';                   
4. Mammoth  Lakes,California  (http://www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us; Click on Reports, go to Community Development Dept.)   
5. Fort Bend County: See Useful Links page.