Modesto has no local dark-sky or dedicated outdoor lighting ordinance. Outdoor lighting on new and remodeled buildings is regulated by California Title 24, Part 6 (Energy Code), which requires shielded, downward-directed fixtures and controls for non-residential exterior lighting.
Multiple searches of Modesto Municipal Code (Title 10 Zoning Regulations, Title 4 Public Welfare, Title 9 Building Regulations) found no standalone outdoor lighting or dark-sky ordinance. Specific-plan documents (e.g., Kiernan Business Park) impose project-level lighting conditions including full cutoff fixtures and prohibition of upward-directed light, but these apply only to those developments. City-wide, California Title 24, Part 6 (Building Energy Efficiency Standards) governs outdoor lighting controls for new construction and substantial remodels, mandating motion sensing, shut-off controls, and energy-efficient sources. General nuisance provisions in MMC Title 4 allow enforcement against unreasonable glare causing a public nuisance. Modesto is not an IDA Dark Sky recognized community.
Glare causing a public nuisance may be cited under MMC Title 4 nuisance provisions; civil penalties up to $2,500 per day. California Title 24 violations are enforced by Building Safety Division at permit issuance.
Modesto, CA
Modesto's noise ordinance (MMC Title 4, Ch. 9) bans 'loud and raucous noise' citywide, including from industrial operations. Certain continuous industrial ac...
Modesto, CA
Modesto enforces a 72-hour street-parking limit citywide under MMC Title 3, Chapter 2, Article 10. Designated residential areas also operate Residential Park...
Modesto, CA
Modesto Municipal Code Title 5, Chapter 4 permits backyard hens in R-1 residential zones. Up to 12 hens are allowed; roosters are prohibited. Coop placement ...
Modesto, CA
Modesto has one of the lowest pet limits in California, allowing a maximum of two dogs or cats per household under MMC Title 5, Chapter 4. Animal hoarding is...
Modesto, CA
Modesto sits on the Central Valley floor outside CAL FIRE's State Responsibility Area and is not mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so the wild...
Modesto, CA
Modesto does not regulate year-round residential lawn ornaments (statues, gnomes, flamingos, religious figures, sports themes) by size, quantity, or content....
See how Modesto's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
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