Pitkin County adopts stricter outdoor‑lighting rules, 5‑year compliance window

Pitkin County commissioners voted Jan. 22 to revise the county's outdoor lighting regulations, adopting a text amendment to Title 8 and an associated zoning plan amendment to create lighting‑zone overlays that officials said aim to reduce light trespass and protect night skies while giving property owners time to comply.

The amendments set a five‑year amortization period for existing nonconforming exterior fixtures, establish a nighttime curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and use a 0.2 foot‑candle threshold to define light trespass at property lines. Larissa, the county's development services manager, told the board that the five‑year window is an industry standard intended to allow fixtures to reach end of life while preventing long‑term lighting that harms neighbors and the night environment. "Existing exterior light fixtures that do not violate the light trespass and curfew regulations shall be considered legal nonconforming for five years," she said.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said the changes respond to resident complaints and county goals to limit unnecessary illumination, protect wildlife and support dark‑sky initiatives. Commissioners described the revisions as balancing community livability with…