Long Beach, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LBMC § 21.54.250
- Adopting ordinance
- ORD-14-0006 (2014)
- Requirement
- Light must fall only on display surface
- Wiring
- All service wiring installed underground
- Verification
- Director of Development Services before building permit
- Electronic billboard cap
- 0.3 foot-candles above ambient, dusk to dawn
Summary
Long Beach requires billboard illumination to be designed, aimed, and shielded so light falls only on the display surface under Municipal Code § 21.54.250, preventing light trespass into the night sky or onto neighboring property, with all service wiring run underground and compliance verified before a building permit issues.
In order to decrease the negative effects of light pollution, illumination for non-electronic billboards shall be designed, aimed, and shielded if necessary so that all light falls on the billboard display surface, and light trespass into the night sky or onto adjacent private or public property is prevented. All service wiring shall be underground. Prior to issuance of a building permit, the applicant shall provide proof to the satisfaction of the Director of Development Services that this requirement is met.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
54, Division II, Development Standards) adopted by ORD-14-0006 in 2014, governs how off-site advertising billboards may be lit anywhere they are permitted in Long Beach. ' The section mandates all service wiring for the lighting be installed underground and places the burden of proof on the applicant: before the City issues a building permit for the sign, the applicant must satisfy the Director of Development Services that the lighting requirement is met, and the applicant or owner remains responsible for maintaining the lighting system in compliance going forward.
3 foot-candles above ambient light from dusk to dawn (or the IESNA-recommended level if lower), controlled automatically by a photocell rather than a timer, and requires shielding so electronic displays do not trespass light or glare onto residential land uses. Together the two sections make lighting compliance a permitting condition rather than a complaint-driven nuisance standard.
Violations & Fines
A billboard lit without the required aiming and shielding, or with light trespassing onto neighboring property or the night sky, violates § 21.54.250 and can be held up at the building-permit stage by the Director of Development Services, who must first be satisfied the standard is met. Electronic billboards face an added compliance check under § 21.54.280.B's dusk-to-dawn brightness cap, backed by required factory certification and on-request contractor verification of actual luminance levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Long Beach require for billboard lighting?
Who signs off on billboard lighting before construction?
Are electronic billboards held to a different lighting standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle billboard lighting.