Palm Springs, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard
- Full-cutoff luminaires for parking/area/security lighting
- Banned lamp type
- Low Pressure Sodium, citywide
- Residential pole height
- 18 ft max, 15,000 lumens max
- Commercial pole height
- 25 ft max, 50,000 lumens max
- Compliance check
- Tied to certificate-of-occupancy site inspection
Summary
Palm Springs requires outdoor lighting to "maintain ambient lighting levels as low as possible... and maintain dark skies" under Section 93.21.00(A). Pole- and wall-mounted parking, area and security fixtures must be full-cutoff luminaires with zero light above the horizontal plane, low-pressure sodium lamps are banned outright, and any fixture over 4,800 lumens must be full-cutoff with limited exceptions.
These regulations are intended to maintain ambient lighting levels as low as possible in order to enhance the city's community character and charm and maintain dark skies. Area lighting should provide good visibility, minimum glare and minimum spillage onto other properties or into the sky. ... ... 2. Pole mounted and wall mounted lighting fixture used for parking lot, area lighting and security lighting shall be full cutoff luminaires shielded or constructed so that all of the light rays emitted by the fixture are projected below a horizontal plane passing through the lowest point on the fixture from which light is emitted. Drop or sag lensed type fixtures are not be allowed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
" Subsection (A)(2) requires pole- and wall-mounted parking lot, area and security fixtures to be "full cutoff luminaires shielded or constructed so that all of the light rays emitted by the fixture are projected below a horizontal plane" at the fixture's lowest light-emitting point, and bans "drop or sag lensed type fixtures" outright. " Pole heights are capped by zone under Subsection (A)(17): 18 feet in residential zones with a 15,000-lumen ceiling, 25 feet in commercial zones with a 50,000-lumen ceiling, and 10 feet for pedestrian-scale poles at 6,000 lumens.
Hillside, multifamily and nonresidential projects must submit a photometric lighting plan for Architectural Review under Subsection (A)(18), showing point-by-point light levels across the lot and ten feet beyond the property line. 12.
Violations & Fines
Compliance is checked as a condition of the building and electrical permit process: Subsection (A)(23) ties outdoor lighting to "the adopted building and electrical codes," and states that a "[f]inal certificate of occupancy are subject to permit requirements and site inspection," meaning a project cannot get its final sign-off if fixtures are not shielded or exceed the approved lamp lumens for the zone. A hillside, multifamily or nonresidential project whose photometric plan is missing or fails Architectural Review under Subsection (A)(18) faces the same permit hold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Palm Springs require shielded outdoor lighting to protect dark skies?
Are low-pressure sodium streetlights allowed in Palm Springs?
How tall can a light pole be in a Palm Springs backyard or parking lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Springs to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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