Landscape Lighting Rules and Regulations Across Palm Beach County: A Homeowner's Guide

Most people expect landscape lighting to be simple: choose fixtures, set them in the ground, enjoy the glow. In Palm Beach County, a few extra layers sit between you and that glow. A home on the island of Palm Beach answers to an architectural commission. A beachfront condo on Singer Island answers to a sea turtle ordinance, and its dock answers to the electrical code. A riverfront lot in Tequesta sits beside a federally designated river. And a house in Hobe Sound is actually across the county line in Martin County, with its own turtle rules.

This guide gathers those rules in one place, in plain English, with links to the official sources. It is a map, not legal advice, and rules change, so confirm the details with your local office before you finalise a plan. If you are still deciding who should do the work, our tips for choosing a landscape lighting company pair well with what follows.

What Is on This Page

The Rules at a Glance

Key dates and numbers

• Sea turtle nesting season for lighting rules runs from March 1 through October 31 in both Palm Beach County and Martin County.
• Palm Beach County has regulated beachfront lighting since 1987.
• The Loxahatchee River was designated a National Wild and Scenic River on May 17, 1985, covering 7.6 miles.
• The state updated its model sea turtle lighting ordinance in December 2020.

How the Rules Fit Together

Think of the rules as four layers stacked on top of each other.

• Federal and state law sets the floor. Sea turtles are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and by Florida law, and Florida directs its environmental agency to publish a model lighting ordinance for local governments to adopt.
• Counties and towns write the actual rules. This is where ARCOM, the county's sea turtle ordinance, and city lighting codes live.
• HOAs and condo associations add their own. Their documents often decide fixture style, colour, and brightness before the city ever sees your plan.
• Licensing and permits apply to the work itself. Who installs the system, and what they have to file, follows state and local rules.

When two layers overlap, plan around the stricter one. It is the safest assumption, and it usually saves a redesign.

Palm Beach: Architectural Review and the Lights-Out Rule

Anyone researching landscape lighting in Palm Beach FL will run into the Architectural Commission quickly, and it helps to know what to expect.

• What it is. The Town of Palm Beach has an Architectural Commission (ARCOM) and a Landmarks Preservation Commission. The town's project designation matrix sorts projects into review paths: some go before a commission, some to a commission chair, some to staff, and some need written consent from the neighbor next door.
• What it means for lighting. The matrix lists landscape lighting as its own category, with an Exterior Lighting Affidavit attached. Which path your project takes depends on its scope, how visible it is, and whether the property is landmarked. The town can also send any project that might affect neighbors to a commission.
• The lights-out rule. Oceanfront owners must make sure no artificial light illuminates the beach or water. Fixtures have to be positioned or shielded so they are not visible from the beach or water from March 1 through October 31, which the town explains in its own FAQ.
• What to do. Call the Planning, Zoning and Building Department at (561) 838-5430 before you design. Ask which review path applies and whether the affidavit is needed. Then bring a lighting plan that shows fixture types and shielding.

For a closer look at how Palm Beach differs from its mainland neighbor, read our Palm Beach comparison.

Sea Turtle Lighting Rules

This is the rule set that crosses town lines. It touches Palm Beach, Singer Island, Tequesta, and Hobe Sound, and it matters most on the beach side of the coast.

The state framework

Section 161.163 of the Florida Statutes directs the Department of Environmental Protection to designate sea turtle nesting areas and set guidelines for local lighting rules. The guidelines live in Chapter 62B-55 of the Florida Administrative Code, and the state's model ordinance is the template many local governments copy. A few points from it are worth knowing:

• The rules apply to lights visible from the beach, not only to homes standing on the sand.
• Decorative lighting, including landscape lights, uplights, and string lights, counts as non-essential lighting that local rules generally expect to be off or out of sight during nesting season.
• Lighting that stays on for safety is expected to be low, long wavelength, and shielded.

What compliant lighting looks like

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sums it up as keeping lights low, long, and shielded.

• Low. Mounted as low and as dim as the job allows.
• Long. Amber, orange, or red light, which turtles see poorly, instead of white or blue-white.
• Shielded. Fixtures built so the bulb itself cannot be seen from the beach.

The commission also runs a wildlife lighting program with certified fixtures and bulbs. One caution: an amber setting on an app dial is not automatically the same as a certified wildlife fixture, so ask what you are actually buying.

Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County's Environmental Resources Management office has enforced beachfront lighting since 1987 under Article 14.A of the Unified Land Development Code. According to the county's beachfront lighting page, a permit is required when any light source is replaced or installed inside the Sea Turtle Protection Zone in covered beachfront communities. The list includes Riviera Beach, which covers part of Singer Island, and Tequesta, among others. That means even a simple bulb swap can need paperwork, which surprises a lot of homeowners.

Martin County and Hobe Sound

Hobe Sound sits in Martin County, so Palm Beach County's ordinance does not apply there. Martin County runs the same March 1 through October 31 nesting season and asks owners to turn off patio lights or close blinds so light does not reach the beach, as its sea turtle page explains. Our Hobe Sound guide shows what that looks like on a real property.

One practical tip: nesting season starts and ends on fixed dates, but nobody enjoys changing fixtures twice a year. Zone-based smart control lighting lets you switch off beach-facing zones on March 1 without touching a single fixture. For Singer Island specifics, see our Singer Island guide.

Singer Island: Dock and Marina Electrical Rules

Turtle rules cover the ocean side of Singer Island. The Intracoastal side raises a different question: what does the electrical code say about lights and wiring on a dock?

• Docks are wet locations. Marinas, boatyards, and docking facilities fall under Article 555 of the National Electrical Code. Older editions exempted docks at single-family homes, but recent editions extend the article to docking facilities at one-family homes. Florida's building code incorporates the electrical code, so your electrician and inspector work from the edition the state has adopted.
• A separate fire standard exists too. The National Fire Protection Association publishes NFPA 303, a fire protection standard for marinas and boatyards, which also reaches docking facilities tied to residential condominiums.
• What the code touches. Wiring and equipment suited to wet locations, ground-fault protection on common 125-volt receptacles, transformer enclosures rated for wet locations and kept above the electrical datum plane, and added ground-fault protection on larger systems.
• Where the yard ends and the dock begins. Standard low-voltage landscape lighting falls under a different article of the code than dock wiring, and the handoff at the water's edge is a detail for a licensed electrician to settle.
• Permits. Docks and the electrical work on them are usually permitted separately from the main house. Singer Island includes more than one municipality, so confirm which building department covers your address.

Condo and HOA approvals often apply on top of all that. Our Singer Island guide covers marina-scale lighting in more detail.

Tequesta: The Wild and Scenic River

Tequesta sits near one of the most protected rivers in Florida, and the rules around it are easy to misread.

• What it is. The Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River was designated a National Wild and Scenic River on May 17, 1985. The designated reach runs 7.6 miles, and the state park system and the National Park Service are listed as its managing partners on the federal river listing.
• What it does. The designation protects the river's free-flowing, natural character, mainly by limiting federally assisted water projects that would harm it.
• What it does not do. It does not set lighting rules for private homes. Depending on where your lot sits, you may be on the river but outside the designated reach, which is worth confirming.
• Why it still shapes design. The river supports manatees, otters, alligators, and wading birds, so most homeowners choose soft, warm, low-glare lighting that keeps the shoreline natural.
• The turtle layer. The county lists Tequesta among the communities with a Sea Turtle Protection Zone, so a lot near the Atlantic side may need the county permit described above.
• What to do. Ask the village and county which rules reach your lot, and check dock and shoreline permits before you add lighting near the water.

Our Tequesta guide walks through riverfront and golf-course lots in more depth.

Palm Beach Gardens: City Code and HOAs

If you are planning landscape lighting Palm Beach Gardens FL homeowners usually meet the HOA before the city, and that is not an accident. Much of the design review for single-family homes happens at the community level.

• The city's code. Palm Beach Gardens' code of ordinances includes exterior lighting regulations aimed at safety, lower energy use, and less light pollution, mostly for development and redevelopment. Ask the city whether a smaller residential project reaches it.
• HOAs and condos. Florida's homeowners' association law is Chapter 720 and its condominium law is Chapter 718. In practice, most association documents require architectural approval for exterior changes, including lighting.
• What associations often ask about. Fixture style and finish, brightness, glare toward neighbors, and sometimes a warm color temperature.
• Permits. Rules differ by building department. As one example, Palm Beach County's permit guide exempts like-for-like fixture replacement on one- and two-family homes, while new wiring generally needs a permit.

For ideas that fit this market, our Palm Beach Gardens lighting ideas are a good starting point.

Licensing and Permits: Rules That Follow You Everywhere

Wherever you live in the county, one question comes up: who is allowed to install this?

Florida's licensing board says installing low-voltage landscape lighting generally requires an electrical contractor license or a limited energy specialty license. The exception is a plug-in system with a factory-installed cord that needs no wiring changes to the structure, as the licensing board's FAQ lays out. Connecting a transformer to your home's power is electrician work either way.

People searching landscape lighting near me often compare prices first. Compare licenses and permits too, because skipped paperwork can cost far more than a cheap quote saves. A few questions are worth asking any installer:

• What is your Florida license number, and can I verify it online?
• Who pulls the permit, and will the work be inspected?
• Have you worked under my town's or county's rules before?
• If I am near the beach, which fixtures are wildlife-certified?

If you are weighing a do-it-yourself kit against a professional, our guide to DIY vs. professional installation explains where the line sits, and our post on low voltage lighting covers the basics.

Which Rules Apply to My Property?

Before You Install: A Checklist

Official Sources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Rules change, so check them before you commit to a plan.

• Town of Palm Beach: project matrix
• Town of Palm Beach: planning and zoning
• Palm Beach County ERM: beachfront lighting
• Florida Fish and Wildlife: turtle lighting ordinances
• Florida DEP: model ordinance
• Martin County: sea turtle protection
• National Fire Protection Association: NFPA 303
• Rivers.gov: Loxahatchee River
• MyFloridaLicense: electrical contractor FAQ

More From Brightway

Location guides

• Palm Beach vs. Gardens
• Singer Island
• Tequesta
• Hobe Sound

Planning and design

• Landscape lighting layout
• Highlighting a home's architecture
• Warm vs. cool lighting
• Downlighting vs. moonlighting
• App-controlled lighting

Care and upkeep

• Lighting warning signs

Services

• Smart control lighting
• Color changing lighting
• Lighting repair and maintenance
• About Brightway

FAQs

Next Steps

Rules like these are easier to handle before the design is final than after the fixtures are in the ground. Whether you need landscape lighting Palm Beach FL homeowners expect from a historic island address, landscape lighting Palm Beach Gardens FL families want for a gated community, or a quick answer after searching landscape lighting near me, you can talk through your property with our team and we will start from there.