Showing ordinances that apply to Ajo, AZ
Ajo is an unincorporated community (population 3,039) in Pima County, Arizona. Because Ajo is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Pima County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The dark sky rules rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Pima County has one of the strictest outdoor lighting codes in the United States, adopted to protect Kitt Peak National Observatory and the surrounding Sonoran Desert night sky. The Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code requires full-cutoff shielding on all outdoor fixtures, limits color temperature to 3000K maximum, and establishes stringent lumen caps by zone.
The Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code (Chapter 18.81 of the Pima County Zoning Code) was first adopted in 1974 and has been strengthened multiple times to protect the astronomical research at Kitt Peak National Observatory (located within Pima County on the Tohono Oodham Nation). Key provisions: all outdoor luminaires must be fully shielded (full-cutoff) so no light is emitted above the horizontal plane. Maximum correlated color temperature (CCT) is 3000K (warm white) -- no cool-white or daylight LEDs are permitted for outdoor use. The code establishes three lighting zones based on proximity to Kitt Peak, with the most restrictive zone (Zone A, within approximately 19 miles of the observatory) limiting total lumens per acre to very low levels. Zone B covers most of unincorporated Pima County with moderate lumen limits. Zone C covers areas closer to Tucson. All new construction, renovations, and fixture replacements must comply. Decorative, architectural, and commercial lighting must meet shielding and CCT requirements. Mercury vapor, metal halide, and unshielded fluorescent fixtures are prohibited in new installations. Gas station canopies, parking lots, and commercial signage are subject to specific lumen and shielding standards. The code is enforced by Pima County Development Services and has been a model for dark-sky ordinances nationwide.
Non-compliant lighting fixtures must be brought into compliance within 30 days of a notice of violation. Failure to comply may result in fines and mandatory fixture replacement. New construction permits will not receive final inspection approval if outdoor lighting does not meet code. Commercial properties face additional scrutiny and may have occupancy permits withheld until lighting is corrected.
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