Title 22.140.385 of the LA County Code limits billboard illumination in unincorporated areas to 0.3 foot-candles above ambient measured at the property line, requires full cutoff fixtures aimed downward, and bans upward light spill into the night sky.
Title 22.140.385, the County's light-trespass ordinance, regulates illuminated signs alongside Title 22.140.430. Billboard faces and on-premise signs visible from public ways must use fixtures with full cutoff optics, no light emitted above the horizontal plane. Maximum vertical illumination on the sign face is 30 foot-candles, with property-line spill capped at 0.3 foot-candles above ambient. Internally illuminated signs must reduce brightness to dark-sky levels between 11pm and 6am if within 500 feet of residential zones. The Hillside Management Area in Title 22.140.380 imposes stricter dark-sky rules in foothill communities. Building and Safety inspects on complaint. Contract cities follow their own lighting codes.
Billboards exceeding the 0.3 foot-candle property-line spill, upward spill, or failing to dim after 11pm near residential areas face Code Enforcement citations under Title 22.140.385, fines up to 500 dollars daily, and corrective orders.
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