No statewide law
North Carolina
Last checked October 29, 2026
North Carolina has no statewide outdoor lighting or dark-sky law. The closest attempt, House Bill 1053 (Sea Turtle Protection Act, 2023 session), would have required shielded or amber fixtures near nesting beaches, but it stalled in House committees after May 2024. Lighting rules exist only locally, such as Raleigh's.
Municipal codes
- Raleigh (opens in new tab): Unified Development Ordinance Article 7.4 (Site Lighting) requires full cutoff fixtures in parking and vehicle display areas, and for other fixtures above 2,000 lumens unless an exception applies. Light at a residential property line is capped at 0.5 footcandles.
Certified dark sky places in North Carolina
- Cape Lookout National Seashore
- Cataloochee Ranch
- Mayland Earth to Sky Park & Bare Dark Sky Observatory
- Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
- The Swag
Bringing your own outdoor lighting up to the same standard? See Dark-Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting.
Sources
- https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H455v0.pdf (opens in new tab)
- https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/HTML/H1053v1.HTML (opens in new tab)
- https://legiscan.com/NC/research/H1053 (opens in new tab)
- https://udo.raleighnc.gov/sec-744-design-and-installation-requirements (opens in new tab)
- https://udo.raleighnc.gov/sec-745-parking-and-pedestrian-areas (opens in new tab)
- https://cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/drupal-prod/COR10/ACRaleighLightingOrdinanceGuide.pdf (opens in new tab)