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

Stanislaus County does not have a stand-alone 'dark sky' or comprehensive outdoor-lighting ordinance for unincorporated areas; there is no county code chapter establishing lumen caps, full-cutoff fixture mandates, or nighttime curfews on residential lighting. Instead, the Zoning Ordinance (Title 21) controls light through performance standards and use-specific conditions. For industrial and business-park districts, the performance standards prohibit light spillover: Section 21.61.110 (Industrial Business Park) and Section 21.62.110 (Light Industrial), among others, state that 'no direct or sky-reflected glare or heat, whether from floodlights or from high temperature processes... shall be visible or felt at the property line.' For various conditional and special uses, the ordinance requires that on-site lighting in parking, pedestrian paths, and entry areas 'shall be shielded and reflected away from adjacent uses.' The county also operates County Service Area lighting (street-light) districts, but those govern public street lighting rather than private fixtures. Because there is no dark-sky chapter, most residential outdoor lighting in unincorporated areas is constrained primarily by the general nuisance provision (Section 21.08.100), which bars any use that creates an unreasonable nuisance detectable off site, and by conditions attached to discretionary permits. Property owners seeking strict glare or light-trespass control should look to the district performance standards and any project-specific conditions rather than a single lighting ordinance, and may contact the Planning Department for guidance.