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

Santa Clara County does not regulate outdoor lighting through one consolidated dark-sky chapter; instead, light-pollution and glare concerns are addressed within the Zoning Ordinance through use-specific design requirements and performance standards. For off-street parking areas in nonresidential projects, Section 4.30.070 requires exterior lighting designed to confine direct rays to the premises, places fixtures on a time clock or photo-sensor system, and specifies illumination devices with 90-degree cut-off and flat lenses, while limiting spillover beyond the property line. Section 4.40.040 limits sign illumination to continuous (non-blinking) lighting and to defined lighting methods. Various discretionary use approvals require lighting to be designed to minimize upward glow and provide glare and spill control, to be shielded so the light source is not visible from beyond the property boundaries, or to avoid being directed toward adjacent properties or rights-of-way. In rural and scenic areas, street and road lighting is encouraged to use traditional, dark-colored, downward fixtures. Because there is no countywide ordinance establishing fixed lumen caps, color-temperature limits, or curfews for all residential lighting, requirements are applied through the relevant land-use approval and the County's general nuisance and performance standards. Property owners planning significant lighting should confirm the standards that apply to their specific use and zoning district with the County Department of Planning and Development.