Pasadena, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- All billboard lighting banned (§13.08.010)
- Illumination window
- Sunset to 10:30 p.m. (§13.08.020)
- Reduced-period window
- Same sunset-10:30 p.m. hours retained (§13.08.030)
- Service disconnection
- PWP can cut power until compliance
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 6 months jail
- Suspension authority
- PWP Board of Directors, by resolution
Summary
Pasadena bans electrical billboard, sign, and decorative lighting outright under Section 13.08.010, then carves out a narrow exception: Section 13.08.020 lets a billboard be lit only between sunset and 10:30 p.m. Break the curfew and Pasadena Water and Power can cut your electric service until you comply.
Except as herein otherwise provided, no person, firm or corporation in the city shall at any time make, cause or permit any use of electrical energy for lighting of billboards, signs, advertising goods or services... Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.08.010, each business establishment may operate its window and display lighting and illuminate 2 outdoor signs between the hours of sunset and ½ hour after closing or 10:30 p.m., whichever is later, and each billboard may be illuminated between the hours of sunset and 10:30 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
010 makes it unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to use electrical energy 'at any time' for lighting billboards, signs, advertising displays, building floodlighting, or decorative and architectural lighting. , whichever is later. billboard window in place while cutting business signage down to one illuminated outdoor sign instead of two. 050, covers minimum lighting necessary for public safety or security, or lighting required by law for essential police, fire, or health facilities, and does not extend to billboard faces. 140 lets the board suspend the whole chapter, or any part of it, by resolution whenever it decides that's in the public interest, meaning the sunset-to-10:30 curfew is the default rule until the board says otherwise.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliance carries two separate consequences. Section 13.08.120 lets the general manager of Pasadena Water and Power disconnect a violator's electric service until compliance is achieved, after written notice. Independently, Section 13.08.130 makes any violation of Chapter 13.08 a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 6 months in jail, or both, with each separate day of violation counted as its own offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in Pasadena be lit overnight?
Is there any exception for continuous overnight lighting?
What happens if a business ignores the curfew?
Can the city suspend these lighting hours entirely?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle billboard lighting.