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Nags Head amends lighting rules to allow brighter public pickleball courts with shielding and noise controls
Summary
The Board adopted a text amendment letting publicly owned, publicly accessible pickleball courts operate at higher illumination when fixtures meet strict shielding and aiming standards. Recreational play may use 30 foot‑candles, and tournament play may be elevated to 50 foot‑candles under an approved crowd‑gathering permit; the ordinance adds fixture and noise‑mitigation requirements and sets a 25‑foot maximum pole height.
The Nags Head Board of Commissioners voted March 4 to amend the town’s Unified Development Ordinance to create a tiered lighting standard for outdoor pickleball courts that balances player visibility with dark‑sky and habitat concerns.
Staff (Kelly Wyatt, Planning & Development Director) told the Board the change responds to requests from developers and the Visitors Bureau in connection with publicly accessible courts. The amendment distinguishes private/residential courts (retaining a 15 foot‑candle limit) from publicly owned, publicly accessible courts that may be illuminated to 30 foot‑candles during routine recreational play. For competitive or tournament play, lighting may be increased to 50 foot‑candles only when the organizer secures an approved…
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