Fulshear restated its outdoor lighting rules in April

The City of Fulshear told residents on April 6, 2026, that it has been seeing more outdoor lighting that does not meet the city ordinance. The post says the city wants to preserve the beauty of the night sky and keep neighborhoods safe and attractive, and it walks through the rules and how to comply.

What the city says it is seeing

The April 6 post lists the problems staff have been finding:

• Fixtures that are not shielded and send light upward
• Lighting that extends past the roofline or the eaves
• Brightness or glare that affects nearby homes

The post says Section 8-40 adopts building standards for installation and fixture compliance. It says Section 28-3-41, on lighting design, requires light to be directed downward, fixtures that minimize glare, and light that does not extend above the roof or eaves.

The fixes in that post are to use a fully shielded fixture, aim it down, and switch to a lower-intensity bulb when the light is too bright. The post directs residents to the city's Code Compliance team. The notice is the April 6, 2026 city post.

What the 2015 requirements sheet still says

A city sheet titled Residential Outdoor Lighting Requirements, dated December 16, 2015, says that effective January 1, 2016, Building Services reviews permit applications for compliance with Outdoor Lighting Ordinance 2015-1194.

The sheet caps any single outdoor luminaire on a residential lot:

• Lighting zone LZ0: 630 lumens for a fully shielded fixture, and 125 lumens for any other luminaire
• LZ1: 1,260 lumens for a fully shielded fixture, and 125 lumens for any other luminaire
• LZ2: 1,260 lumens for a fully shielded fixture, and 125 lumens for any other luminaire

The sheet says Cross Creek Ranch and Fulbrook on Fulshear Creek are both in LZ1. Residents who are unsure of a zone are told to call 281-346-8860.

The same sheet adds these rules:

• Lighting other than over a garage or at a building entrance needs a control that turns it off in daylight, such as a photoelectric switch, an astronomic time switch, or an equivalent programmable controller with battery or similar backup.
• Lights must be fully shielded. The exception is low-voltage landscape lighting that stays within the lower lumen cap, has a diffuser, and is not a visible light source from any other property.
• New exterior lighting has to be approved before it is installed, with the manufacturer spec sheet for each type of light.
• Existing lighting must comply after a reasonable amortization period. The sheet says that period is presumed to end ten years after the ordinance's effective date. It says the City Council approved the ordinance on September 22, 2015, and the sheet gives an effective date of January 1, 2016.

The April 2026 post is a compliance reminder. It does not say the council adopted a new lighting ordinance that day. Both documents are on fulsheartexas.gov: the April notice and the 2015 requirements sheet.