--- title: "Tennis Court Lighting in Las Vegas: Poles, Glare, Rules" description: "Tennis court lighting in Las Vegas: pole heights run 16-20 ft, but Henderson, Summerlin West, and Clark County set HOA and city limits. See the rules." canonical: https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/blog/tennis-court-lighting --- [All articles](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/blog) Tennis Guide # Tennis Court Lighting in Las Vegas: Pole Layout and Local Rules By [Brian Foley](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/about), Owner · Published October 23, 2026 ![Night-lit tennis court in Las Vegas with overhead pole lighting, a purple playing surface, green surround, and black windscreens on the perimeter fence](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/_astro/windscreen-installation-las-vegas-after-3.BoM_fJ5C_1PseYg.webp) We light a full tennis court with eight poles set at about 16 to 20 feet high. Your local government or HOA decides whether poles that tall go up at all. Henderson caps court lights in single-family residential zones at 20 feet, and Summerlin West limits pole-mounted fixtures to 6 feet. Clark County holds light at a shared property line to 0.2 footcandles, a measure of how much light lands on a surface. Here is what to check before your tennis court lighting project starts. ## Why Night Play Matters on Outdoor Tennis Courts in Las Vegas Midday heat makes outdoor play hard, so play shifts to early morning and evening. Court lighting turns outdoor courts into a year-round asset. The National Weather Service's [Las Vegas temperature-day table](https://www.weather.gov/media/vef/Number%20of%20Days%20With%20A%20Specific%20Temperature.pdf), last updated April 11, 2026, shows 1991 to 2020 normals of 25.8 days at 100 degrees or higher in July. August averages 24.5 days. The table also logs a March record of 21 days at 80 degrees or higher, set in 2026. ## How Many Lights Does a Tennis Court Need? ![New post-tension concrete tennis court under construction in a Las Vegas backyard, with the finished slab, perimeter fencing, and open desert surround](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/_astro/post-tension-concrete-tennis-court-las-vegas-during.C-r5nAbH_YLQkj.webp) Eight poles placed around the court give the entire court uniform coverage with balanced, shadow-free light. That layout is part of our [tennis court construction](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/sports/tennis) work. We design the lighting system for uniform illumination across the entire playing area without glare in neighboring yards. The poles stand outside the playing area, so the court needs open ground beyond the lines. As players, we judge a layout by what happens on a lob. A ball that climbs into a fixture's glare vanishes for half a second, long enough to lose the point. Proper lighting keeps serves and overheads visible against the night sky. It also holds the lines' contrast, since a faded baseline that reads fine at noon can wash out under lights. Facility layout guides publish mounting heights up to 50 feet, far above what Henderson and Summerlin West allow homeowners. ## How Tall Are Court Light Poles, and What Do Las Vegas Rules Allow? How tall is a court light pole in Las Vegas? A standard 16–20 ft court pole exceeds Summerlin West’s 6 ft limit and sits right at Henderson’s 20 ft ceiling. - Summerlin West: 6 ft max (pole-mounted fixtures) - On Point standard court pole: 16–20 ft - Henderson: 20 ft max (residential court lights) - Facility layout guides: up to 50 ft (not allowed for Las Vegas homeowners) Court light pole heights compared with Las Vegas limits. A standard 16–20 ft pole exceeds Summerlin West’s 6 ft cap and meets Henderson’s 20 ft ceiling for residential court lights. Court light poles on our layouts stand about 16 to 20 feet high, which fits Henderson's 20-foot cap and exceeds Summerlin West's 6-foot limit. | Jurisdiction | Maximum pole height | Light at the property line | Approval step | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Henderson (Seven Hills) | 20 ft for court lights in single-family residential zones | 0.50 footcandles or 3000K for LEDs where the site abuts residential, with fully shielded fixtures | Standards and shields are shown at permit review | | City of Las Vegas | Not stated in the city guide | Not stated | Electrical permit for new wiring for light fixtures | | Summerlin West | 6 ft for pole-mounted fixtures | Glare kept within the lot as far as practicable | Committee approval before installation | | Unincorporated Clark County (Southern Highlands) | Not set in the lighting rule | 0.2 footcandles at a shared property line | Confirm with the county | ## What Your Neighborhood Allows If you live in Seven Hills, Henderson's [lighting and glare standards](https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/henderson-nv/doc-viewer.aspx?secid=72#secid-72) require court lights in single-family residential zones to be shielded to prevent spill. Where a site abuts residential zoning or land use, light at the property line cannot exceed 0.50 footcandles or 3000K for LEDs. Fixtures there must also be fully shielded. If you live in Summerlin West, the community's [design guidelines](https://www.summerlink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2026-West-Design-Criteria.pdf) cap pole-mounted fixtures at 6 feet, far below a standard court pole. Talk to the Design Review Committee before anyone designs a lit court on your lot. If you live in Southern Highlands, you fall under unincorporated Clark County, where [Title 30](https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:e176cf70-4420-49f2-85a7-cb9b7665b41c/original/as/OFFTitle30.EFF.09.17.26.pdf) holds brightness at a shared property line of 0.2 footcandles. It also requires on-site lighting to be shielded or designed to keep direct glare and spill off adjacent property. ## Will Court Lights Bother My Neighbors? Court lights bother neighbors when light leaves your lot, so shielding and aim decide the answer. Spill is a courtesy issue and a code issue. Fully shielded LED fixtures aimed down at the court keep light on the playing surface and deliver reduced glare. Color temperature, measured in kelvins (K), also matters, since cool white light rated above 3000K exceeds Henderson's LED limit next to residential property. Confirm a fixture's rating before you order. LED tennis court lighting is energy efficient. USA Pickleball reports that LED lighting costs less and needs less maintenance than traditional lighting, such as high-intensity discharge lamps. It puts average discharge lamp life at 12,000 hours, against up to 100,000 hours for LEDs at the high end of the range, and notes that LED technology works with dimmers. ## Pickleball Court Lighting: Pole Placement and Glare ![Newly built blue-and-green backyard pickleball court with a basketball hoop in Henderson, Nevada](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/_astro/pickleball-court-construction-henderson-nv-after.Dp4gkTPx_JFtu4.webp) Pickleball court lighting falls under the shielding and height limits in the table above, with layout points from USA Pickleball's [outdoor court construction guidance](https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/court-diagram/outdoor-court-construction). The governing body recommends poles at least 5 feet from the sideline and says padding should be considered when poles stand inside the fence. It also advises against using light poles as fence posts. USA Pickleball asks for uniform lighting with glare kept down, and larger areas need higher poles. The height caps in the table above shape every [pickleball court build](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/sports/pickleball), including a club's pickleball facility, so check them before you design. ## Do I Need a Permit for Court Lights? Yes, court lights need a permit and, inside an HOA, a separate approval. Henderson Code 19.10.8.C.1 requires light standards and shields to be shown at building permit review. The City of Las Vegas requires an electrical permit for new wiring for light fixtures, per its [homeowner permit guide](https://files.lasvegasnevada.gov/building-safety/Forms/General/WHEN-DO-I-NEED-A-PERMIT.pdf). In Summerlin West, the committee must approve exterior lighting before installation, and its approval does not replace a city permit. A photometric plan carries a lighting design through review. It maps light distribution across the court and along the lot boundary, giving reviewers numbers to check. Target light levels come from industry sports lighting standards, which scale them by class of play, so a recreational court needs less light than a competition one. ## Basketball Court Lighting Basketball court lighting adheres to the pole-height caps and property-line limits in the table above. We do not publish a pole count for basketball, so the layout starts with your lot and the local limits. If one slab carries two sports, see our post on [multi-sport court design](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/blog/multi-sport-court-design). ## Can I Add Lights to an Existing Court? Yes, you can add lights to an existing court when power reaches it and there is room for poles outside the playing area. Our [guide to tennis court dimensions](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/blog/tennis-court-dimensions) shows how much run-off a backyard or club court needs, which tells you whether poles fit. A retrofit goes through the same city and HOA rules as a new build. The first step is checking power and pole placement for the lot, then the local rules. ## Pre-Design Checklist for a Lit Court 1. Confirm which local government and HOA govern your lot, and ask the HOA for its lighting criteria in writing. 2. Locate pole positions and the power supply. 3. Ask your designer for a photometric plan that shows light at the property line. 4. Check any LED fixture's color temperature against your local limit before you order or install. For a free written quote on your court build, including lighting, [send us your details](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/contact). Prefer to talk it through? Call [(702) 686-7738](tel:+17026867738). *About On Point Court Surfacing: On Point is led by Brian Foley, who played Division I tennis and competes as a professional pickleball player. We hold Nevada contractor licenses #0090686 (Surfacing & Fencing) and #0095035 (Concrete), and we are ASBA (American Sports Builders Association) members.* > ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ > > [Matthew Murillo](https://share.google/qwR1VgJnmkGpr5CEZ) > > *"We had our tennis court resurfaced. Brian and the team are the best. Very responsive, went over all of our options and answered all our questions. Showed up when they said they would and completed the work on time. Would highly recommend."* ![Brian Foley, owner of On Point Court Surfacing](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/_astro/brian-foley-owner-on-point-court-surfacing-boise-state.CRYeh40x_Z27zaY3.webp) Brian Foley Owner, On Point Court Surfacing Brian Foley owns On Point Court Surfacing and is on site for the work. He played number-one singles on a full-ride scholarship at Boise State and won a round at one of the first PPA pickleball tournaments in Las Vegas. He still plays tennis and pickleball, so every court is built by someone who knows how it should play. [More about Brian](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/about#brian-foley) ![Black privacy windscreens installed on a blue chain-link fence at a night-lit athletic court in Las Vegas](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/_astro/windscreen-installation-las-vegas-after-3.BoM_fJ5C_1PseYg.webp) ## Planning a lit court? Free written quotes across Southern Nevada. [Request a free quote](https://onpointcourtsurfacing.com/contact) [(702) 686-7738](tel:+17026867738)