Dark Sky Landscape Lighting in Austin & the Texas Hill Country

The Hill Country is known for its night sky, and several towns we serve protect it by law. Outdoor Lighting Concepts designs dark sky landscape lighting that lights your home, paths and trees without washing out the stars or shining into a neighbor’s window. Ryan Zimmerman and his team design every system to fit the rules where you live, then show you the result at your home with a free nighttime demo. Call 512-579-9833.

What Is Dark Sky Compliant Landscape Lighting?

Dark sky compliant lighting puts light only where you need it, only when you need it, and in a warm color. DarkSky International (formerly the International Dark-Sky Association) sums this up in five principles: lighting should be useful, targeted, low-level, controlled and warm-colored.

In practice that means:

• Fully shielded fixtures. The light source isn’t visible from above the fixture, and almost no light escapes upward.
• Aimed down and onto the target. Light lands on the path, wall or tree, not the sky or the street.
• Low output. Only as bright as the task needs.
• Warm color, 3000K or lower. Warmer light causes less skyglow. Our standard warm white LED already sits around 3000K, and we can go warmer.
• Controls. Timers, photocells and dimming so lights are off or low when no one is using them.

DarkSky Approved Fixtures (Formerly the Fixture Seal of Approval)

DarkSky International certifies light fixtures through its DarkSky Approved Luminaires program, which replaced the Fixture Seal of Approval. Under the current guidelines, a residential fixture must stay at or under 1,000 lumens, allow no more than 50 lumens of uplight with the light source not visible above the fixture’s horizontal plane, use a color temperature no higher than 3000K, and dim to 10% or less. Fixtures that can tilt upward more than 5 degrees aren’t eligible. Where a project calls for it, we specify DarkSky Approved fixtures and can provide a fixture schedule for review.

Dripping Springs Outdoor Lighting Ordinance

Dripping Springs became the first International Dark Sky Community in Texas in 2014, and its Outdoor Lighting Ordinance dates back to 2000. It is the strictest lighting code we work under in Central Texas. Key points of Article 24.06 of the city code:

• Where it applies: inside city limits. It does not generally apply in the ETJ, but it can apply there through a property-owner agreement or as a condition of a variance or other approval, and the city strongly encourages voluntary compliance.
• Shielding: fixtures must be shielded so the luminous elements aren’t visible from any other property, and no light may escape above the horizontal plane through the lowest point of the light source.
• No uplighting: outdoor uplighting is prohibited, except under a roof overhang or similar structure with an engineer- or architect-stamped lighting plan.
• Color: fixtures rated above 3000K are prohibited (with narrow exceptions for older, fully shielded fixtures).
• Lumen cap: total outdoor light on a residential property can’t exceed 25,000 lumens per net acre (100,000 for nonresidential).
• Permit: a lighting permit is needed when more than 2,500 lumens of outdoor lighting are installed within any 90-day period. New homes must pass an outdoor lighting inspection before a Certificate of Occupancy.
• Exemptions include very low-output fixtures (180 lumens or less with a diffuser, or 360 lumens or less behind a dark lens, capped at 10% of the property total) and low-intensity warm mini or rope lights.

For Dripping Springs homes we design with downlighting and moonlighting from within the tree canopy instead of ground uplights, shielded path and step lights, and a lumen budget for your lot. We can prepare the lumen totals and fixture details your permit or HOA review needs. See our Dripping Springs landscape lighting page.

Wimberley and Woodcreek Lighting Rules

Wimberley and Woodcreek, together known as Wimberley Valley, were designated an International Dark Sky Community in 2018. Wimberley’s ordinance requires any fixture over 1,500 initial lumens to be shielded so its light stays below the fixture and the source can’t be seen from off the property. Unshielded fixtures on a property can’t total more than 7,200 lumens, and no outdoor lamp may exceed 3000K. Woodcreek has its own Dark Skies ordinance. See our Wimberley landscape lighting page.

Austin, Travis County and Hays County

The City of Austin’s design standards require fully shielded or full cut-off fixtures for parking lots, pathways, building façades and similar exterior lighting on development covered by those standards. Texas counties generally can’t regulate outdoor lighting except near certain observatories and military bases, so Travis and Hays counties don’t have county lighting codes; Hays County has adopted a night-sky resolution. Several Hays County cities do have their own lighting ordinances, including Buda, Kyle and San Marcos, and some neighborhoods and HOAs set their own rules. We check what applies to your address before we design. See Austin landscape lighting.

How We Design Dark Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting

• Shielded fixtures with hoods and glare guards, aimed down or onto a wall or path
• Moonlighting from within mature live oaks, so light filters down through the branches
• Warm white LED at 3000K, or 2700K and amber where you want it warmer
• Low-output path and step lights for safety without glare
• Timers, photocells and dimming, so lights shut off or dim late at night (lighting controls)
• A lumen budget for your property where a city caps total output

You still get a home that looks great at night. The light just stays on the property.

Dark Sky Lighting Across Central Texas

• Dripping Springs: International Dark Sky Community; strict shielding, 3000K and lumen limits
• Wimberley: Wimberley Valley Dark Sky Community; shielding and 3000K limits
• Austin: full cut-off standards on covered development; we design dark sky friendly by default
• Kyle, Buda, San Marcos: city lighting ordinances; we confirm the rules for your address
• West Lake Hills: city outdoor lighting ordinance

See It at Night Before You Decide

Ryan Zimmerman’s team offers a free consultation and nighttime demo in Austin, Dripping Springs, Wimberley and nearby Hill Country towns. Call 512-579-9833 or fill out the form below.

Schedule My Free Nighttime Demo

This page is general information about local lighting rules as of November 2026, not legal advice. Ordinances change and can apply differently by property, so confirm with your city or HOA. We’re happy to help you check.