Bernalillo County, NM Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage area
- East Mountain Area only
- Off-premise billboards
- electrical illumination prohibited
- On-premise sign lighting
- timer required, off 11pm-sunrise
- Fixture placement
- must be top-mounted, shielded
- Max penalty
- $300 fine, 90 days jail
Summary
In the unincorporated East Mountain Area, Bernalillo County bans electrical illumination of off-premise billboards outright and requires on-premise advertising sign lighting to be top-mounted, shielded, and cut off by timer between 11 p.m. and sunrise.
(e)Outdoor advertising off-premise signs. Electrical illumination of outdoor advertising off-site signs is prohibited in the East Mountain Area.(f)Illuminated outdoor advertising signs. All illuminated outdoor advertising signs shall be equipped with an automatic time controller that prevents the operation of the lighting fixtures between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and sunrise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
The county's 1991 Light Pollution Ordinance for the East Mountain Area requires illuminated outdoor advertising sign fixtures to be top-mounted and shielded (Sec. 30-210). Off-premise billboard illumination is banned outright there (Sec. 30-212(e)); on-premise sign lighting must run on an automatic time controller that cuts power between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise (Sec. 30-212(f)). The zoning administrator enforces the division and issues lighting permits and certificates. Coverage is limited to the East Mountain Area east of Tijeras Canyon, not the rest of unincorporated Bernalillo County, and not Albuquerque, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, or Tijeras, which set their own sign rules.
Violations & Fines
Violating the lighting division is a misdemeanor: up to a $300 fine, up to 90 days in county jail, or both; a violation continuing past 15 days after conviction is prosecuted as a separate offense (Sec. 30-215).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply to billboards in Albuquerque?
Can an off-premise billboard be lit at night in the East Mountain Area?
What about on-premise business signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
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