Outdoor Lighting in Palm Springs, CA (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Palm Springs, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Palm Springs requires outdoor lighting to "maintain ambient lighting levels as low as possible... and maintain dark skies" under Section 93.21.00(A). Pole- and wall-mounted parking, area and security fixtures must be full-cutoff luminaires with zero light above the horizontal plane, low-pressure sodium lamps are banned outright, and any fixture over 4,800 lumens must be full-cutoff with limited exceptions.
Palm Springs Dark-Sky Outdoor Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsPalm Springs, CA, Zoning Code Sec. 93.21.00(A), (A)(2) (Outdoor Lighting Standards)
These regulations are intended to maintain ambient lighting levels as low as possible in order to enhance the city's community character and charm and maintain dark skies. Area lighting should provide good visibility, minimum glare and minimum spillage onto other properties or into the sky. ... ... 2. Pole mounted and wall mounted lighting fixture used for parking lot, area lighting and securit...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Palm Springs defines "Light Trespass" in Section 93.21.00(A)(9) as illumination that spills "off the subject project site" onto neighboring property, and controls it through the same shielding mandate that governs dark-sky compliance: Subsection (A)(6) requires every outdoor fixture above 4,800 mean lumens to be a full-cutoff luminaire.
Palm Springs Light Trespass Rules for Fixtures
Some RestrictionsPalm Springs, CA, Zoning Code Sec. 93.21.00(A)(6), (A)(9) (Outdoor Lighting Standards, Light Trespass)
6. All luminaries with total lamp Mean lumens above 4800 shall be full-cutoff type except for the following uses: a. Outdoor advertising displays or signage; Lamp lumens for shielded signs shall not exceed 100 lumens per square foot. ... ... 9. Lighting fixtures that produce illumination off the subject project site is considered an undesirable condition in which exterior lights produce illumin...
Looking for Riverside County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Palm Springs city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Riverside County →