Local rules only
Colorado
Last checked October 29, 2026
Colorado law (2001) requires outdoor lighting installed by the state or with state funds to use full cutoff fixtures above 3,200 lumens and the minimum adequate illumination; lighting a state highway needs a DOT finding that markers or signs will not do. Emergency, temporary and aesthetic-only lighting is exempt, and prisons treat it as guidance. A 2022 law funds Dark Sky designation grants. Private lighting is left to local codes.
| Statute | Citation | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor lighting fixtures: definitions (opens in new tab) | C.R.S. § 24-82-901 | 2001 |
| Outdoor lighting fixtures funded by the state: standards (opens in new tab) | C.R.S. § 24-82-902 | 2001 |
| Dark sky designation technical assistance grant program (HB22-1382) (opens in new tab) | C.R.S. § 24-49.7-110 | 2022 |
Municipal codes
- Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, CO (opens in new tab): The two Wet Mountain Valley towns were certified as Colorado's first International Dark Sky Community in 2015. Local advocates there pushed lighting codes that restrict unshielded lights.
- Ridgway, CO (opens in new tab): Ridgway adopted lighting ordinances in 2019 and earned International Dark Sky Community certification in 2020.
Certified dark sky places in Colorado
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Browns Canyon National Monument
- Chimney Rock National Monument
- Crestone, Colorado
- Curecanti National Recreation Area
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- Frisco, Colorado
- Golden Gate Canyon State Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Jackson Lake State Park
- Kosmos Stargazing Resort & Spa
- Lake Fork Earth and Sky Center
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Norwood, Colorado
- Nucla and Naturita, Colorado
- Old Snowmass, Colorado
- Ridgway, Colorado
- Top of the Pines
- Town of Breckenridge, Colorado
- Town of Paonia, Colorado
- Trinchera Ranch
- Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colorado
Bringing your own outdoor lighting up to the same standard? See Dark-Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting.
Sources
- https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-24/state-property/article-82/part-9/section-24-82-901/ (opens in new tab)
- https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-24/state-property/article-82/part-9/section-24-82-902/ (opens in new tab)
- https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1382 (opens in new tab)
- https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-24/other-agencies/article-49-7/ (opens in new tab)
- https://darkskycolorado.org/darsky-colorado/ (opens in new tab)
- https://www.cpr.org/2015/03/06/meet-colorados-first-international-dark-sky-community/ (opens in new tab)
- https://visitwetmountainvalley.com/westcliffe-silver-cliff-international-dark-sky-community/ (opens in new tab)
- https://ridgwaycolorado.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/let-the-stars-shine (opens in new tab)