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Flip the Switch: Turtle Season Lighting Tips
All properties with lighting visible from the beach must comply with the Turtle Nesting Protection Ordinance for exterior lighting.
In addition, hotels and businesses are required to reduce, minimize or eliminate existing interior artificial light sources visible from the beach at night. Residential and multifamily properties are encouraged to do so as well.
Reduce interior and exterior lighting by:
Keep it Low: Keep outdoor lighting as low as possible to the ground for the needed purpose.
Keep it Long: Use lamps/bulbs that only emit long wavelength lights; 560 nm or greater produces red, orange or amber light. A red or amber LED bulb is the best option for sea turtle-friendly lighting.
Keep it Shielded: Materials such as aluminum flashing can be used as a shield to direct light and keep it off the beach. When shielding lights, it is important to ensure they are shielded from all areas on the beach (including from either side and on top), not just from the beach directly in front of the light.
Manage Indoor Lighting: To reduce spillover from indoor lighting, move light fixtures away from windows, use window tint that allows only 45% of light to pass through from the inside to the outside, or use window treatments like blinds or curtains, to shield interior lights from the beach.
In addition, hotels and businesses are required to reduce, minimize or eliminate existing interior artificial light sources visible from the beach at night. Residential and multifamily properties are encouraged to do so as well.
Reducing artificial lighting is critical to decrease disorientation and improve nesting habits. Compliance with the interior lighting section of the ordinance for hotels and commercial properties is required for the 2026 Sea Turtle Nesting Season. To obtain more information on sea turtles, visit: www.mbrisingabove.com/seaturtles.
During sea turtle nesting season, the City’s Code Compliance Department conducts routine proactive inspections to ensure compliance of the Sea Turtle Nesting Protection Ordinance. If you have any questions or would like to meet to discuss correcting lighting problems, please contact Code Compliance at 305.604.CITY (2489) or Environment and Sustainability at 305.673.7084.
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