Outdoor Lighting in Salinas, CA (2026)
2 verified outdoor lighting rules for Salinas, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Salinas requires every outdoor light fixture to use cutoff optics so no light escapes above a horizontal plane through the fixture's base, and caps parking-lot light poles at 25 feet (40 feet in the IG district) under Sec. 37-50.480. The rule applies citywide to all on-site outdoor lighting.
Salinas Outdoor Lighting Shielding Standard
Some RestrictionsSalinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 37-50.480(a) (Outdoor Lighting)
(a)Outdoor lighting shall employ cutoff optics that allows no light emitted above a horizontal plane running through the bottom of the fixture. Parking lots shall be illuminated to no more than an average maintained two and four-tenths footcandles at ground level with uniform lighting levels. All building-mounted and freestanding parking lot lights (including the fixture, base, and pole) shall ...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Salinas caps outdoor light spilling onto neighboring land at one-half footcandle at any R or NU district property line, and requires lighting near other property or public rights-of-way to be shielded so no lamp, lens, or reflector is visible from the neighbor's side, under Sec. 37-50.480(a).
Salinas Light Trespass Property Line Limits
Some RestrictionsSalinas, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 37-50.480(a) (Outdoor Lighting)
Illumination at an R or NU (NE, NG-1, and NG-2) district property line shall not exceed one-half footcandle maximum. Lighting adjacent to other property or public rights-of-way shall be shielded to reduce light trespass. No portion of the lamp (including the lens and reflectors) shall extend below the bottom edge of the lighting fixture nor be visible from an adjacent property or public right-o...
Looking for Monterey County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Salinas city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Monterey County →