Kern County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Adopted by Ordinance No. 81 applies to every new temporary or permanent outdoor light fixture installed in unincorporated Kern County; fixtures lawfully in place before adoption are legal nonconforming and stay exempt unless the property adds 50 percent or more floor area, dwelling units, seating or parking, which triggers full retrofit. The shielding trigger is fixed: any fixture using 100 watts or more, or emitting 1,600 lumens or more, must be fully shielded so no light rays cross above the horizontal plane cast by the lowest point of the fixture, and floodlights under that threshold still need partial shielding to cut spillover onto neighbors.

Metal halide, mercury vapor and quartz light sources are banned within and inside 25 feet of the E, R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts. 1 caps freestanding fixtures at 20 feet in residential zones (or within 25 feet of an existing single-family home) and 30 feet elsewhere; attached fixtures cannot exceed the height of the structure they're mounted on. Uplighting is banned outright except for narrow, low-wattage accent lighting on architectural features, flags or public art. and sunrise. Commercial and industrial building permits require a submitted outdoor lighting plan reviewed by the Kern County Engineering, Surveying and Permit Services Department.

Property owners who need relief from any standard may apply to the planning director for an exception with a $250 filing fee, and neighbors get seven days' notice before a decision; the planning director's ruling can be appealed to the Board of Supervisors.