El Monte, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Skyward lighting
- Prohibited under 17.60.050(B)(6)
- Landscape accent lighting
- Exempted from skyward ban
- Exterior lights
- Must turn off during daylight hours
- Permanent lighting
- No blinking or flashing allowed
- Lighting plans
- Must be prepared by a qualified lighting engineer
Summary
El Monte's zoning code bars outdoor lighting from pointing straight up at the sky, one of several fixture-design rules meant to cut light pollution and glare. Section 17.60.050(B) requires low-glare, low-light-pollution fixtures, forbids blinking or unusually bright permanent lighting, and requires most exterior lights to switch off during daylight hours.
B.Performance Standards.1.All lights shall be directed, oriented, and shielded to prevent light trespass or glare onto adjacent properties, onto the public right-of-way and/or driveway areas.2.Exterior lighting shall demonstrate an efficient distribution of lighting using low-glare, low-light pollution fixtures for lighting building exteriors and surrounding areas...4.Exterior lighting shall be turned off during daylight hours. As used herein, "daylight hours" means the hours between sunrise (dawn) and sunset (dusk).5.No permanently installed lighting shall blink, flash or be of unusually high intensity or brightness.6.Outdoor lighting shall not be directed skyward with exception to typical landscape lighting meant to accent architectural features of structures, trees and shrubs.
Full Breakdown
050, Outdoor Lighting, part of the General Property Development Standards in Title 17 (Zoning), sets performance standards for fixtures built as part of new construction citywide (properties with a single existing single-family dwelling, ADU or JADU are exempt from the lighting-plan submittal requirement, though the design standards still guide any new fixtures). 6 states outdoor lighting shall not be directed skyward, with a narrow carve-out for typical landscape lighting used to accent architectural features of structures, trees and shrubs, meaning uplighting a facade or a tree is fine but a floodlight aimed at open sky is not.
The same subsection requires exterior lighting to demonstrate efficient distribution using low-glare, low-light-pollution fixtures, bars any permanently installed light from blinking, flashing or reaching unusually high intensity or brightness, and requires exterior lighting to be turned off during daylight hours, defined as the hours between sunrise and sunset. Lighting plans for qualifying projects must be prepared by a qualified lighting engineer and submitted with the entitlement application. 3 footcandles at the property line and 20 feet in height, while nonresidential pole lighting tops out at 25 feet, or 30 feet in manufacturing zones, unless mounted on a single-story building's roof eave.
Motion-detector fixtures are allowed but must sit within five feet of a doorway, mount no higher than eight feet, and use no more than two 75-watt bulbs.
Violations & Fines
A fixture aimed upward without landscape-lighting justification, a blinking or flashing permanent light, or an exterior light left on past sunrise violates Section 17.60.050(B). The Community Development Department reviews lighting plans at entitlement and can require design revisions before issuing a permit; installed fixtures that don't match an approved plan are subject to code enforcement action and correction as a condition of any subsequent permit or occupancy approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install uplighting to highlight a tree or my house facade in El Monte?
Does every new outdoor light in El Monte need a lighting plan?
Are motion-sensor security lights allowed under El Monte's dark-sky rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Monte
California rules heatmap·Compare El Monte to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Dark Sky Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle dark sky rules.