Outdoor Lighting in Tempe, AZ (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Tempe, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Tempe caps on-site outdoor lighting at 40 foot-candles measured at the surface and sorts fixtures by how much light escapes upward. Full cutoff fixtures can use any source up to that cap, while non-cutoff fixtures with white/opal lenses are limited to 1,700 lumens and clear or prismatic lenses to 600 lumens.
Tempe Dark Sky and Outdoor Lighting Rules
Some RestrictionsTempe Zoning and Development Code § 4-803(B), (C)(5)(b)-(d)
Illumination Levels The maximum illumination level for on-site lighting is forty (40) foot-candles as measured at surface based on light loss factor of sixty-eight percent (0.68) for metal halide lighting and seventy-two percent (0.72) for high pressure sodium lighting. Refer to Section 4-805 Exemptions. [...] b. Outdoor light fixtures, which are full cutoff to direct all light below a horizont...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Tempe limits spillover light at a property line adjacent to a single-family district to 0.5 foot-candle, and bars lighting next to a residential use from spilling over onto that use at all, under the Zoning and Development Code's lighting chapter.
Tempe Light Trespass Onto Neighboring Property
Some RestrictionsTempe Zoning and Development Code § 4-803(A), (C)(5)(f), (C)(6)
A.Illumination in General. Exterior lighting shall provide for appropriate and desirable nighttime illumination for all uses on and related to the site...Lighting of exterior areas shall reduce conflicts between building design and landscape treatments, provide appropriate surveillance for crime prevention, and minimize glare or intrusive light onto adjoining properties and into the night sky.....
Billboard Lighting
Tempe requires lighting fixtures that illuminate an outdoor advertising sign (billboard) to be mounted on top of the sign structure and to comply with the same shielding standards that govern every other exterior fixture in the city.
Tempe Billboard Lighting Fixture Rules
Some RestrictionsTempe Zoning and Development Code § 4-803(C)(5)(g)
g.Lighting fixtures used to illuminate an outdoor advertising sign (billboard) shall be mounted on the top of the sign structure and shall comply with the shielding requirements of this chapter;
Looking for Maricopa County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tempe city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Maricopa County →