Bakersfield, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Lighting standard
- No light directed onto adjacent property or ROW
- Permitted zones
- C-2, M-1, M-2, M-3 only
- Max sign area
- 300 sq. ft. (plus 30 sq. ft. cutouts)
- Max height
- 35 ft. in C-2; 50 ft. in M-1/M-2/M-3
- Residential setback
- 300 feet
- Electronic displays
- Allowed, same lighting rule applies
- Enforcement
- Building director; nuisance abatement
Summary
Bakersfield lets outdoor advertising signs (billboards) be illuminated, but only "provided no lighting is directed onto adjacent properties or public rights-of-way" under Municipal Code § 17.60.070(E)(10). Billboards themselves are confined to the C-2, M-1, M-2 and M-3 zones, capped at 300 square feet and 35-50 feet in height, and set back 300 feet from residential property.
E. Outdoor Advertising Signs (Billboards). All outdoor advertising signs are regulated as follows: 1. Signs are permitted in the C-2, M-1, M-2 and M-3 zone districts, in addition to that permitted in those respective districts. 2. Signs shall not exceed an area of three hundred square feet, excluding cutouts or extensions provided they do not exceed thirty square feet in area. 3. Signs shall not exceed a height of thirty-five feet in the C-2 district, or fifty feet in the M-1, M-2 and M-3 districts. ... 7. Signs shall be set back a minimum of three hundred feet from any property zoned residential or developed with residential uses. ... 10. Signs may be illuminated provided no lighting is directed onto adjacent properties or public rights-of-way.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 5221, passed July 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
" That single sentence is the entire local lighting standard for billboards, there's no separate lumen, glare, or curfew rule in the chapter, just a directional-spill prohibition tied to the same permit and inspection framework that covers the rest of the sign code. 070(E)(1)); capped at 300 square feet of area, excluding cutouts or extensions up to 30 square feet (E)(2); limited to 35 feet in height in C-2 or 50 feet in the M-1/M-2/M-3 districts (E)(3); spaced at least 1,000 feet from another billboard or 100 feet from any other freestanding sign (E)(4); barred from public property or right-of-way (E)(5); and set back 300 feet from any residentially zoned or residentially developed property (E)(7).
070(G)(8), meaning an illuminated electronic billboard face is still bound by the same no-spillover lighting rule. 110(A)-(C), subject to a written notice to abate and removal at the owner's expense if uncorrected.
Violations & Fines
A billboard whose lighting spills onto an adjacent property or the public right-of-way is out of compliance with § 17.60.070(E)(10) and, under § 17.60.110(A), is declared a public nuisance. The building director may issue a written notice requiring correction; if the owner fails to comply, the city can abate the violation and place the abatement cost as a lien against the property under Government Code §§ 38773-38773.7, per § 17.60.110(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in Bakersfield be lit up at night?
Is there a brightness or lumen limit for billboard lighting?
Does the lighting rule apply to electronic billboard displays too?
What happens if a billboard's lights shine onto a neighboring property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bakersfield
California rules heatmap·Compare Bakersfield to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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