2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Pima County, Arizona.
Verified from official government sources
Pima County has one of the strictest outdoor lighting codes in the United States, adopted to protect Kitt Peak National Observatory and the surrounding Sonoran Desert night sky. The Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code requires full-cutoff shielding on all outdoor fixtures, limits color temperature to 3000K maximum, and establishes stringent lumen caps by zone.
Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code prohibits light trespass from outdoor fixtures onto adjacent properties. All fixtures must be fully shielded and directed downward to prevent spill onto neighboring parcels. Complaints about light trespass are handled through county code enforcement with particular rigor near the Kitt Peak Observatory buffer zone.
4 cities in Pima County have their own outdoor lighting rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Pima County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Pima County Ordinance Hub →