Nags Head amends lighting rules to allow brighter, shielded lights for publicly owned pickleball courts
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Summary
The board approved a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance allowing higher illumination for publicly owned, publicly accessible pickleball courts (up to 30 foot‑candles for play, up to 50 for tournament settings with a crowd‑gathering permit) provided fixtures are full cutoff, shielded, aimed away from sensitive areas, and paired with noise‑mitigation authority and on‑demand operation.
The Nags Head Board of Commissioners voted to amend the town’s Unified Development Ordinance to create a pickleball‑specific lighting standard for publicly owned, publicly accessible courts.
Planning Director Kelly Wyatt told the board the change responds to a request related to planned county tourism‑bureau courts and reflects technical guidance from the Illuminating Engineering Society. The amendment retains the existing 15 foot‑candle limit for private and HOA courts but allows publicly accessible courts to be designed for 30 foot‑candles for recreational play and to reach 50 foot‑candles for competitive or tournament play when an approved crowd‑gathering permit is in place.
Wyatt said the ordinance change emphasizes fixture design more than raw foot‑candle numbers. Required safeguards include full cutoff fixtures, additional shielding and glare control so light does not trespass onto adjacent properties or public trust areas, a maximum pole height of 25 feet, and dimmable, multilevel controls so lighting can be limited to appropriate levels. All pickleball lighting must operate on demand (push‑button timers or motion activation) to limit nighttime impacts.
Because pickleball can generate repetitive acoustic noise, the amendment also gives the town authority to require noise‑attenuation measures — such as acoustic fencing or sound panels — if substantiated complaints or a noise audit show a need. The board and staff also discussed extending the municipal recreational curfew from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the smaller‑scale courts covered by the change (the 9 p.m. curfew remains for larger fields and facilities with taller poles).
Commissioners said they favored a tiered, performance‑driven approach paired with strong fixture design and on‑demand operation. The amendment was adopted by motion and voice vote at the March 4 meeting and will apply town‑wide to any publicly owned, publicly accessible pickleball court built under the updated standards.
