What it looks like
- An unshielded floodlight aimed across the property line
- Security lights that stay on all night
- Sports court, pool, or patio lighting
- Bright signs or decorative lighting
- Reflected glare from windows or panels
What Nevada law says
Light can be a private nuisance under NRS 40.140 when it substantially and unreasonably interferes with the use of your home. Nevada does not recognize a general right to light or a view, so the claim is about intrusion, such as glare into bedrooms at night, and not about appearance.
In unincorporated Clark County, Title 30 requires on-site lighting to be shielded or designed to prevent direct glare and light trespass onto adjacent property, and limits brightness at a shared property line to 0.2 footcandles. There are exceptions, including motion-sensor security lighting that stays on no more than 12 minutes and ordinary coach lights on a single-family home. The City of Las Vegas has a similar 0.2 footcandle standard in its development code, though how it applies to an existing home's fixture is less clear. Enforcement is by complaint to code enforcement.
The facts that matter
These are the questions that decide whether there is a practical path forward.
- Which fixture, where it is mounted, and where it is aimed
- Which rooms or areas it reaches on your property
- The hours it is on
- Whether it is shielded, and whether it is on a motion sensor
- How it affects sleep or use of the home
How to document it
- Photograph the fixture in daylight from your own property, showing where it is mounted and aimed.
- At night, photograph from inside each affected room with your own lights off. Take one with the curtains open and one closed.
- Take a photograph from your side of the property line toward the fixture.
- Turn off any automatic night mode if you can, and use the same settings each time, so the photos compare fairly.
- Log the nights and hours it is on, and whether it appears to be on a sensor or on all night.
- Repeat on at least six to eight nights over two weeks.
Printable light and glare log and guide
Proof to gather
- Night photographs taken from inside the affected rooms
- Photographs from your side of the property line showing the fixture
- A log of the nights and hours it is on
- A light meter reading at the property line, if you can get one
- A code enforcement complaint number and any response
See our guide to keeping an incident log.
Options that usually fit
Step 1: Case review and cease and desist letter
$275. A written analysis of your evidence and a formal letter from the firm.
Step 2: Complaints to the city, county, or HOA
$995. We identify the rule being broken, file with the agencies that enforce it, and follow up.
Step 3: District Court action
A lawsuit asking a judge to order the nuisance stopped, with damages where they can be proven.
Common questions
Is there a law against a neighbor's floodlight?
In unincorporated Clark County, lighting must be shielded to prevent glare and light trespass onto adjacent property, with a brightness limit at the property line and some exceptions. Elsewhere the rules vary. Separately, light that substantially and unreasonably interferes with your home can be a nuisance under state law.
What usually fixes it?
A shield, a lower-wattage bulb, a motion sensor, or re-aiming the fixture. These cost very little, which is why a polite letter that suggests one of them works so often.
This page is general information about Nevada law, not legal advice. Every dispute turns on its own facts and documents.