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

Riverside County Code Chapter 8.80 requires every outdoor luminaire in the unincorporated county to be adequately shielded and directed so no direct light falls outside the parcel of origin or onto public rights-of-way; fixtures cannot blink, flash, or rotate. Exemptions cover law enforcement, public property, monuments, holiday lights, gas lamps, neon, and agricultural operations. Nonconforming fixtures had three months to fix if redirection alone worked, six months otherwise. The Sheriff and Code Enforcement enforce it: light trespass is confirmed by observing the fixture from the complaining neighbor's property, one or two violations in 180 days is an infraction ($100-$250 minimum fine), a third is a misdemeanor with a $500 minimum fine or up to six months in jail.