Rowlett planning panel advances draft outdoor-lighting rules, schedules May 26 public hearing

City of Rowlett planning staff asked the Planning and Zoning Commission on May 12 to recommend updates to the city's outdoor-lighting rules to create measurable residential and nonresidential standards and clearer enforcement procedures. The commission scheduled a public hearing on the proposed text amendment for May 26 and staff said a draft of the ordinance would be emailed to commissioners the next morning, with edits requested back by May 18.

The proposal centers on measurable outputs: staff recommended that "the allowable maximum intensity measured at the residential property line shall be 0.25 foot candles," said Michael King, a community development staff member leading the presentation. King told commissioners the draft would add applicability, definitions, presumptions, affirmative defenses and exemptions, and would separate plan-review photometric computations from field luminance calculations used by code enforcement.

Why it matters: the change would give code enforcement a consistent way to determine whether a fixture is excessive (measured in foot-candles at a property line) rather than relying on ambiguous terms or wattage. Staff emphasized the difference between luminous flux (lumens), intensity in a direction (candelas), illuminance at a surface (foot-candles) and luminance or glare (what the eye perceives) to explain how the new standards would be applied.

Staff described likely exemptions and enforcement practice: temporary and emergency lighting for highway or utility work, and city/state facilities, would remain exempt. For existing private homes, staff said enforcement would be complaint-driven rather than part of a citywide retroactive audit: "It is gonna be complaint based," the staff representative said during the meeting. Staff also proposed limiting excessive continuous security lighting by encouraging timers that default off after short intervals; meeting discussion noted industry timers commonly run 1'3 minutes.

Public comment and local concerns: resident Barla (who identified herself during the meeting) urged stricter limits for lakefront properties and recommended 0.1 foot-candle for lakefront homes, saying stronger, less-subjective definitions for glare and "light trespass" are needed. Commissioners raised questions about retrofit enforcement and shielding requirements; several said they wanted standards simple enough for ordinary residents to read without hiring an engineer.

Holiday and special-display rules: staff raised the option of a special-display permit for unusually large or traffic-generating holiday displays ("Griswold-style" displays), which would include a schedule and allow public-safety planning. Commissioners discussed whether to set a fixed nightly cutoff (many nearby cities use an 11 p.m. curfew) or use a broader, generalized approach tied to a calendar of holidays; no final decision was made.

Next steps: staff will deliver the draft ordinance and sign-posting instructions for the text amendment the next morning. Commissioners asked for draft changes back by May 18 so staff can finalize materials for the May 26 public hearing. The commission also offered to hold a work session the evening of the public hearing if they need additional discussion before forwarding a recommendation to city council.

Source: Presentation and discussion led by Michael King (community development staff) and public comment by resident Barla at the Rowlett Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on May 12, 2026.