Outdoor Lighting in Pima County, AZ (2026)
3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Pima County, Arizona.
Verified from official government sources
Dark Sky Rules
Pima County adopted the 2012 City of Tucson/Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code as its own law, applying dark-sky shielding and fixture standards to new outdoor lighting across the unincorporated county surrounding Tucson.
Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code
Some RestrictionsPima County Code § 15.12.010
Under authority of both A.R.S. § 11-861 and A.R.S. § 11-251(35), the 2012 City of Tucson/Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code, adopted by the city of Tucson, is adopted and incorporated by reference as the outdoor lighting code for Pima County, as set forth in Exhibit A, attached to Ordinance 2012-14. (Ord. 2012-14, § 2, 2012; Ord. 2006-91 § 13 (part), 2006; Ord. 2004-98 § 2, 2004; Ord. 2001-138 §...
Light Trespass & Shielding
Unincorporated Pima County caps how sign lighting can spill onto neighbors: Code § 18.79.070(D) bars a sign's light source from being visible from an adjacent property or the street and requires every illuminated sign to meet the county's Outdoor Lighting Code, Chapter 15.12. A tighter no-trespass standard applies to signs that opt into the county's dark sky incentive program.
Pima County Sign Light Trespass Rule
Some RestrictionsPima County Code § 18.79.070(D)
D. Illumination. 1. Signs may be illuminated, except where expressly prohibited in this chapter. 2. A sign shall comply with the standards of the Outdoor Lighting Code (Chapter 15.12). 3. A light source of a sign shall not be visible from: a. Above except as allowed in the Outdoor Lighting Code (Chapter 15.12), and, b. An adjacent property or street.
Billboard Lighting
Every billboard permitted in unincorporated Pima County, whether in a CB-2, CI-1, CI-2 or CI-3 zone, is barred from carrying any illumination at all under Section 18.79.080(A)(1)(c). The county's Dark Sky Protection Option, which lets other sign types add area and height for shielded lighting, expressly excludes billboards from that trade-off, and a wooden billboard structure being replaced under the two-for-one program must also stay unlit.
Pima County Billboard Illumination Ban
Heavy RestrictionsPima County Code § 18.79.080(A)(1)(c); § 18.79.100(A)(2)
A. Billboard. A billboard is allowed in the CB-2, CI-1, CI-2, and CI-3 zones subject to: 1. General: a. Minimum clearance: Ten feet. b. Maximum faces per sign: Two. c. No illumination. d. Maximum number: None. e. Landscaping ratio: None. ... A. Dark sky protection option. ... 2. Application: Applies to conventional internally-illuminated signs and externally-illuminated signs....
Outdoor Lighting by City in Pima County
2 cities in Pima County have their own outdoor lighting rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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