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.
Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica regulates outdoor lighting under SMMC §9.21.080. While not a standalone dark sky ordinance, the city addresses light pollution through zoning st...
Santa Monica, CA
Outdoor lighting in Santa Monica must not create glare or light trespass per SMMC §9.21.080. Violations of lighting standards are enforceable under the prope...
See how Santa Monica's billboard lighting rules stack up against other locations.
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