Outdoor Lighting in Westminster, CA (2026)
3 verified outdoor lighting rules for Westminster, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Westminster requires every exterior light fixture, from parking lot poles to building floodlights, to be designed, arranged, directed, or shielded so illumination stays on the property under Municipal Code Section 17.300.040(B)(1). The same provision bars any significant increase in overall ambient illumination, the city's dark-sky control, and pairs it with fixture integration, uniformity, low walkway lighting, and mandatory entrance security lighting.
Westminster Outdoor Lighting Shielding Rules
Some RestrictionsWestminster Code § 17.300.040(B)
Outdoor lighting can present a negative visual and/or psychological effect on individuals, especially in areas where residential uses abut or are in close proximity to commercial, office, or industrial areas. This Section outlines the provisions for the installation and operation of outdoor lighting. Exterior lighting shall comply with the following requirements: 1. All exterior lighting shall ...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Westminster's outdoor lighting standard, Municipal Code Section 17.300.040(B)(1), bars any exterior fixture from spilling light onto a neighbor's land: lighting must be shielded to contain direct illumination on-site and prevent light spillover onto adjoining land uses or roadways. Parking-area and loading-area lights carry their own directional rules in B.6 and B.7.
Westminster Light Trespass Onto Neighboring Property
Some RestrictionsWestminster Code § 17.300.040(B)(1), (6), (7)
1. All exterior lighting shall be designed, arranged, directed, or shielded in such a manner as to contain direct illumination on-site, thereby preventing excess illumination and light spillover onto adjoining land uses and/or roadways. Additionally, outdoor lighting shall be located and designed to prevent a significant increase in the overall ambient illumination. 6. All lights and illuminate...
Billboard Lighting
Westminster caps electronic billboard illumination at 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light, measured at 250 feet for standard-size faces and 350 feet for larger faces, and bans flashing, shimmering, or moving light entirely except for time, temperature, and smog-index displays that change no more than once every four seconds under Section 17.330.090.
Westminster Sets Brightness Limits for Electronic Billboards
Some RestrictionsWestminster Code § 17.330.090.H.1, H.10
H. Operational Restrictions 1. No electronic billboard shall display flashing, shimmering, glittering, intermittent or moving light or lights. Exceptions to this restriction include time, temperature, and smog index units, provided the frequency of change does not exceed four-second intervals. 10. Electronic billboards shall not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 foot candles above a...
Looking for Orange County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Westminster city rules.
Outdoor Lighting in Orange County →