Gardena, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Gardena Municipal Code § 18.42.095(H)(1) requires that all exterior light bulbs and LEDs be enclosed on the top and sides when mounted to the side of a building, a pole, or other structure, and specifies that the enclosing material may be glass, plastic, or metal. This shielding rule sits within the residential design criteria that apply to all new and expanded multifamily residential developments under § 18.42.095. Two exceptions are written directly into the same subsection: suspended light strings may have exposed bulbs, and holiday lights are exempt from the shielding subsection entirely.

Beyond shielding, § 18.42.095(H)(2) requires that all exterior lighting fixtures on the same building be of the same manufacturer and the same design, materials, and color, though size may vary if the rest stays consistent; § 18.42.095(H)(3) applies the identical same-manufacturer, same-design rule to pole- or bollard-mounted lighting. Section 18.42.095(H)(4) caps the height of light poles, standards, and fixtures at sixteen feet measured from finished grade, counting the pole and fixture combined. The subsection cross-references the separate development standards of § 18.42.150 (the security and lighting plan requirements covering intensity and light trespass), so a multifamily project must satisfy both the design-criteria shielding rule here and the footcandle and lighting-plan standards there. Community Development reviews these lighting design criteria as part of site development plan approval for qualifying multifamily projects.