Outdoor Lighting in Palm Desert, CA (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Palm Desert, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
In the City of Palm Desert, California, § 24.16.015 requires full-cutoff fixtures for every luminaire above four thousand total lamp mean lumens, caps mounting heights at eighteen feet in residential zones and thirty feet in commercial zones, limits color temperature to four thousand Kelvin, and prohibits high pressure sodium lamps in commercial and residential zones.
Palm Desert Outdoor Lighting Shielding and Dark-Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsPalm Desert Municipal Code § 24.16.015
A. All luminaries with total lamp mean lumens above four thousand shall be full-cutoff type and meet the requirements illustrated in Figure 24.16-1. ... B. Commercial and Residential Zones. Lighting sources (lamps) approved for commercial and residential zones are light emitting diodes (LED), light emitting plaza (LEP), compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), multifaceted reflector halogen lamps (MR) ...
Light Trespass & Shielding
In the City of Palm Desert, California, § 24.16.040 limits spill light onto neighbors: no more than one-tenth foot-candle measured horizontally at adjacent property lines, and no more than 0.25 foot-candle measured five feet inside an adjacent residential property. Poles cannot sit at a property line next to residential land.
Palm Desert Light Trespass Limits at Property Lines
Some RestrictionsPalm Desert Municipal Code § 24.16.040
A. The requirements to minimize the off-site illumination onto adjoining properties shall include lower pole heights, glare shields and repositioning lighting poles. ... C. Lighting poles shall not be positioned at the property line adjacent to residential properties. D. Provide lighting fixtures with internal house side shielding so that no more than one-tenth foot-candle is measured horizonta...
Looking for Riverside County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Palm Desert city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Riverside County →