Common Sense Solutions & Resources
Know Your Texas Lighting Codes
Start your education here about outdoor lighting codes in Texas. Explore a list of what is already in place to help you research everything from state to local codes.
Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting
A joint project of DarkSky International and the Illuminating Engineering Society.
Download a copy to reference in the future.
What Should My Lighting Look Like?
Think For yourself - don't trust labels
There is no national definition of “dark sky” or “night sky friendly” lighting. Every manufacturer can make up their own rules. Both the Be A Star Award application (the next section down) and the IDA Dark Sky Friendly Home Lighting Program (available in this section) are good guides. You never want to see the light source – just the illumination. Follow the Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting to have the right amount of light, directed to the area where it is needed, in an appropriate color turned on only when a person is there to use it.
Download the Outdoor Light Fixture Replacement Options document below to guide you in selecting new fixtures. Keep in mind it lists good examples but, there will always be additional options coming on the market so use this for a guide.
DarkSky Texas Recognition for Your Texas Property: Commercial or Residential
Be A Star Award
Follow the “Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting” depicted in the graphic above for your outdoor lighting on your Texas property. You will see better, save money, feel safer, and have “Nature, Neighbor & Night-Skies Friendly Lighting!”
When you do, your property will earn the Be a Star Award! Strut your Texas stuff with the Be A Star Award!
Your local group can even manage the program and add your logo in addition to the DarkSky Texas logo that is already on the sign.
Start or Join a Local Night Skies Group
First: Connect with your DarkSky Texas Chapter
Always connect with your DarkSky Texas Chapter for support and to leverage what others have done. They’ll connect you with other “Friends of the Night Sky” groups which are forming to be super local voices of better lighting to protect the night sky and see better.
The Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky was the first county-wide group established in Texas and is a model for others. Click on this text to hear their President offer formation tips based on their experience as they started their group.
Stickers for Night Skies Advocacy
I Love Texas Night Skies
Show off your love of the night skies with these fabulous, high quality, long lasting stickers to promote Texas Night Skies and membership in DarkSky Texas. You can order them in multiples of 50 to help in your advocacy work to protect our night skies. Each sticker is about four inches square. They cost $0.50 each plus postage.
Resources
Documents, Presentations,
& Facilitators Guides
Websites & Videos (A-Z Order)
Examples of Good Lighting
Expansive Orange County Great Park offers superior visibility and preserves darkness for neighbors. This lighting meets IDA’s Community Friendly Outdoor Sports Lighting Program approval.
This facility in Dripping Springs, Texas meets the local Outdoor Lighting Ordinance requirement to shield lighting to eliminate glare and light trespass.
Texas State Outdoor Lighting Codes
State Funded Outdoor Lighting Regulations
Municipal Authorization
In the past, municipalities, but NOT most unincorporated areas in counties, were authorized to regulate outdoor lighting. A select few counties are authorized by the Texas Legislature to regulate outdoor lighting.
In the 2021 Texas Legislative session, restricted the authority of municipalities to regulate outdoor lighting with the exception of ordinances adopted by a governmental entity that is already certified as a Dark Sky Community by the International Dark-Sky Association or one that had declared it is seeking this designation; or an entity authorized to regulate outdoor lighting around a large observatory or military installation.
Note that even the municipalities allowed to regulate outdoor lighting are not allowed to regulate it in their Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).
Texas Cities and Counties with Outdoor Lighting Codes
A Note about Local Codes
Local ordinances and codes regulating outdoor lighting vary widely in whether they are up to date with lighting technology, engineering standards, and the science of the human eye. Due to the nature of the beast they also vary due to local politics.
This diversity around the state happens because the state legislature is not willing to regulate outdoor lighting. This is obviously an important item for local communities yet the differences from one location to another are frustrating for the construction industry.
No attempt is made here to offer downloads of the specific ordinances as they change regularly. The attempt is to list the cities and counties that have outdoor lighting codes to demonstrate their prevalence.
If you want a code to use as a solid guide, download our Texas Model Outdoor Lighting Ordinance. A Lighting Plan Checklist, Lumen Compliance Workbook and Sample Lighting Plan documents are also available in the Resources list on this page. The Texas Model Outdoor Lighting Ordinance was updated in 2022 and, at that time, was sufficient to satisfy the IDA requirement for an International Dark Sky Community nomination.
Local Codes
- Bexar County
- City of Alpine
- City of Austin
- City of Buda
- City of Dripping Springs
- City of El Paso
- City of Blanco
- City of Boerne
- City of Bulverde
- City of Flower Mound
- City of Fredericksburg
- City of Frisco
- City of Fulsheer
- City of Glen Rose
- City of Harker Heights
- City of Helotes
- City of Jonestown
- City of Kyle
- City of Llano
- City of Marfa
- City of Midland
- City of Plano
- City of Port Aransas
- City of San Antonio
- City of San Marcos
- City of Spring Branch
- City of Troy
- City of Woodcreek
- City of Webberville
- Fort Bend County
- Jeff Davis County
- Johnson City
- Village of Wimberley
Texas Localities with Outdoor Lighting Resolutions or Proclamations
- Bandera County
- Blanco County
- Burnet County
- City of Bandera
- City of Buda
- City of Camp Wood
- City of Fredericksburg
- City of Junction
- City of LaGrange
- City of Leakey
- City of Llano
- City of Mason
- Comal County
- Edwards County
- Gillespie County
- Hays County
- Kendall County
- Kerr County
- Kimble County
- Llano County
- Mason County
- Real County
- Uvalde County
