Maui County, HI Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Shielding requirement
- All fixtures fully shielded
- Highway lighting color temp cap
- 3,000 Kelvin max
- Mercury vapor lamps
- Banned for new/replacement fixtures
- Blue light content cap
- 2% (non-neon fixtures)
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Works
Summary
Maui County Code Chapter 20.35 requires every outdoor light fixture countywide to be fully shielded, bans new or replacement mercury vapor lamps, caps highway lighting at 3,000 Kelvin, and limits blue light content to 2 percent to cut glare and protect the night sky.
A.All outdoor lighting fixtures must be fully shielded, except that all outdoor lighting fixtures installed after January 1, 2026, must comply with this chapter.B.All outdoor lighting fixtures used for the illumination of highways and roadways must have a color rendering index no less than 70 percent and a correlated color temperature not greater than 3,000 Kelvin.C.Mercury vapor must not be used for new outdoor lighting fixtures or for the replacement of existing outdoor lighting fixtures.D.All outdoor lighting fixtures, except for neon, must limit short wavelength content to no more than two percent of blue light content.
Full Breakdown
020 applies the chapter to installation of every outdoor lighting fixture in the County, with the stricter of this chapter or any conflicting County ordinance controlling. 040 as construction that projects all emitted light downward below the horizontal plane of the fixture's lowest point; subsection B caps highway and roadway lighting at a color rendering index of at least 70 percent and a correlated color temperature no greater than 3,000 Kelvin; subsection C bans mercury vapor lamps for any new fixture or replacement of an existing one; and subsection D limits blue light content, other than neon, to no more than 2 percent.
050, though not without consent or a warrant if the owner objects. 070 carves out exemptions: open-flame fixtures burning kerosene or gasoline, low-wattage holiday and Obon festival string lights under 50 lumens per bulb, non-oceanfront single-family through fourplex incandescent fixtures that are shielded or under 8,100 lumens per acre, approved affordable housing lighting, school and park sporting-event lighting, aviation obstruction lighting, and temporary emergency or public-infrastructure construction lighting. 080 requires an electrical-permit applicant, apart from residential fixtures, to submit fixture locations, site plans and manufacturer specifications proving compliance before installation.
Violations & Fines
Section 20.35.100 makes violations of Chapter 20.35 subject to the administrative enforcement track in section 19.530.030, which lets the director serve a notice of violation and order requiring the person to cease the violation, correct it by a set date, or pay a civil fine, with the order becoming final if not appealed to the board of variances and appeals within 30 days of mailing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Maui County require outdoor light fixtures to be shielded?
Are mercury vapor streetlights allowed in Maui County?
Are residential porch lights exempt from Maui's outdoor lighting law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maui County
Compare Maui County to another location·View the Hawaii outdoor lighting overview
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