Outdoor Lighting Standards
In partnership with Grand County and the City of Moab
why did the city & county update their lighting standards?
The dark skies of Moab and the surrounding region are a valuable and rare resource that millions of people throughout the world never get to see. To protect our dark skies and support a high quality of life for residents, the City of Moab and Grand County have updated outdoor lighting standards for residences and businesses in order to encourage responsible lighting that protects our health and safety, and brings the beauty of night skies closer to home and accessible to visitors.
The lighting code was researched and rewritten to encourage lighting practices that will minimize light pollution, glare, light overflow, and sky glow in Moab and the region without compromising your safety and the safety of others.
Understanding the Moab city & grand county lighting codes
Learn about how the new outdoor lighting ordinances will affect you, and steps you can take to comply with the codes. Better lighting will help Moab maintain its rural character, and be an even safer and more enjoyable place to live. Download our brochure by clicking on the image below:
Commit to better lighting
By making adjustments to your home and property’s outdoor lighting, you are contributing to a better quality of life in Moab and Grand County. Switching to compliant, shielded lighting is good for all of us!
- Select outdoor lighting fixtures that are fully shielded and pointing downward.
- Use dimmers, timers, or motion sensors on fixtures and program them for efficiency
Use Correct Light Bulbs
Install warm white or extra warm white bulbs (3,000K maximum) instead of daylight, cool white, or white, non-compliant bulbs.
- Turn lights on only WHEN needed and install them only WHERE needed
- Illuminate areas with no more light then necessary
- Dim or turn off the lights during late-night hours.
Proper outdoor lighting
More and brighter lighting does not make us safer. In fact, glare from unshielded and bright lights can compromise our vision and affects our ability to see potential hazards in our surroundings.
- Replace yard lighting with shielded fixtures and bulbs within brightness limits, and use only when needed to elimate extreme glare and light spillage over a wide area.
Please direct specific questions to the agencies listed below:
Grand County Planning Department – 435-259-1343, jgreen@grandcountyutah.net
Moab City Sustainability Department – 435-259-5121, mdi@moabcity.org
Moab City Planning Department – 435-259-5129, chsurtleff@moabcity.org
Thanks to: International Dark Sky Association; City of Fort Collins, Colorado, Craig Powell, and Ginny Sawyer;
photographer Bettymaya Foott. Illustrations courtesy of City of Fort Collins. Graphic design Linn DeNesti