San Benito County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Zone I sign curfew
- off by 9:00 p.m.
- Zone II/III sign curfew
- off by 11:00 p.m.
- Required design
- opaque background, translucent letters
- Upward sign lighting
- prohibited countywide
Summary
Unincorporated San Benito County requires internally illuminated outdoor advertising signs to use opaque backgrounds with translucent lettering and shut off after business hours or a set nighttime curfew.
Outdoor internally illuminated advertising signs shall be constructed with an opaque background and translucent letters and symbols. Lamps used for internal illumination of the signs shall not be included in the lumens per net acre limit set in this section. The signs shall be turned off at 9:00 p.m. or when the business closes, whichever is later.
(D) Class 3 lighting must be extinguished at 9:00 p.m. or when the business closes, whichever is later, except that low-wattage holiday decorations may remain on all night from November 15 through January 15. (1966 Code, § 32-7) (Ord. 748 § 1(part))
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: current through Ordinance 1078).
Full Breakdown
Under the county's outdoor lighting ordinance, internally illuminated advertising signs in unincorporated San Benito County must be built with an opaque background and translucent letters and symbols so light does not glow through the whole sign face. In Zone I, near Fremont Peak State Park and Pinnacles National Monument, sign illumination must switch off by 9:00 p.m. or when the business closes, whichever is later; Zones II and III use an 11:00 p.m. cutoff and allow colored, non-white backgrounds instead. Sign lamp lumens are counted separately from the property's overall outdoor lighting budget, and upward-directed sign lighting is prohibited everywhere in the county.
Violations & Fines
Non-compliant sign lighting is a public nuisance abatable under Chapter 1.03 and a misdemeanor under section 19.31.016; each day of continued violation counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard stay lit all night in unincorporated San Benito County?
Does this rule apply inside Hollister?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Benito County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Benito County to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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