If your municipality has an outdoor lighting ordinance, please Contact Us.  Also check with your city secretary or Planning and Zoning (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.  

Interested in finding if there are a group of people in your area working to fight light pollution? Go to our Contact Us page and sign up for the Texas IDA Yahoo Group

Many people send us emails asking what type of ordinance should they try to get passed in their community? Well, there is no easy answer. Each community is different and has specific needs and warrants a specific ordinance that address concerns of that locale. There is no "one size fits all" ordinance that will always work!

What do you do then? Look at what other communities have done (in Texas first, and then nationwide), talk with folks who have been in the trenches and let them share their experiences with you, get a feel for your community and what type of regulations fit best, then start piecing it together. If you live in a small town, then probably a simple ordinance is best and better than one say for the City of El Paso or San Antonio.

Have questions? Email us on our Contact Us page and/or join our Texas IDA Yahoo Group to ask other members about their experiences.

Some excellent ordinances to use for now as guidelines include:

1. Fort Bend County, Texas (see above link)

2. Flagstaff, AZ: http://docs.darksky.org/ordinance/City-Flagstaff-AZ-Ordinance.pdf

3. Ketchum, ID:  http://docs.darksky.org/ordinance/City-Ketchum-ID-Ordinance.pdf

4. Pima County, AZ: http://docs.darksky.org/ordinance/County-Pima-County-Ordinance.pdf