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

A search of Modoc County's published Code of Ordinances did not find a stand-alone dark-sky ordinance, full-cutoff fixture mandate, color-temperature cap, or county-wide foot-candle limit of the kind adopted by some other rural California counties (for example, Mono and Kern Counties). The closest provisions are targeted rather than comprehensive. Zoning Code Section 18.110.070(H) (Illumination) requires that 'lights used to illuminate signs or advertising structures shall be installed so as to concentrate the illumination of the sign or advertising structure and minimize glare or direct illumination upon a public street or adjacent lot.' Section 18.110.070(G) further provides that no red, green or amber lights or illuminated signs may be positioned where they could be confused with traffic-control devices. For home occupations, Section 18.100.010(D)(5) prohibits glare (along with noise, vibration, fumes, odors and dust) detectable at the boundary of the premises. Chapter 12.04 (county road setbacks) addresses floodlighting poles in road-setback areas and requires that floodlights installed on such poles be equipped with shields. Because there is no general dark-sky standard, most residential and agricultural outdoor lighting in unincorporated Modoc County is not subject to specific County shielding or brightness limits; neighbors troubled by spillover generally rely on the home-occupation glare standard, the sign-illumination rule, or the County's nuisance provisions (Chapter 8.20). The County's General Plan and any project-specific conditions of approval may also address lighting on a case-by-case basis.