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

San Joaquin County Development Title §9-1025 (outdoor lighting) requires that all new exterior lighting installed in commercial, industrial, and multifamily residential zones use fully shielded (full-cutoff) fixtures that emit no light above the horizontal plane and direct light downward onto the intended surface. Residential single-family lighting must similarly avoid light trespass across property lines — a maximum of 0.1 footcandles at a residential property line is the typical enforcement benchmark. Parking-lot lighting has specific pole height (maximum 25 feet in most commercial zones, 35 feet for large lots) and uniformity ratio requirements. LED color temperature is encouraged at 3000K or below to reduce blue-light emissions that affect migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway (the Delta is a major bird migration and wintering area — the county is part of the CDFW's Delta Conservation Framework), though 4000K is permitted where warranted. Sports-field lighting (schools, county parks) must use directional control to limit spill onto adjacent homes and must turn off by 10:00 PM absent a permitted event. Lighting near Stockton Metropolitan Airport, Tracy Municipal, and the smaller airports must comply with FAA Advisory Circular AC 150/5345-44 limits to avoid interfering with airfield lighting and pilot night vision on approach. New commercial signs are separately regulated for illumination intensity.