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

120 (Outdoor Lighting) states the County's purpose plainly: to conserve energy, preserve the nighttime sky, and protect neighbors and wildlife from light trespass, recognizing that the County's development patterns created ideal areas for astronomical observation and enjoyment of the nighttime sky. 7) rules. An addition of 50 percent or more of a structure's gross floor area, or an exterior remodel touching 50 percent or more of the building's exterior, triggers a full lighting retrofit for the whole lot. Exemptions cover fossil-fuel lights, traffic devices, pre-ordinance street lights, temporary emergency lighting under a public agency, navigation lights, seasonal decorations lit no more than 60 days a year, fixtures of 60 lumens or less, and underwater pool or fountain lights.

Subsection C flatly bans search lights, strobe lights, laser-source lights, mercury vapor lights, and any uplighting. 25 between adjoining commercial or industrial parcels. Subsection E requires every fixture to be fully shielded or full cutoff, with narrow exceptions for decorative string lights and entrance lights fully contained under an overhang. The Director may approve an alternative design as part of a planning permit if it provides approximate equivalence to these standards.