Peoria, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- Outdoor Light Control Code, Sec. 20-60
- Shielding standard
- Metal halide fixtures must be fully shielded
- Searchlight curfew
- Advertising searchlights banned 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
- Banned fixture
- Mercury vapor lighting prohibited outright
- Penalty
- Class one misdemeanor, minimum $100 per offense
- Permitting agency
- Community Development Department reviews applications
- Temporary exemption
- 30 days, renewable, decided within 5 business days
Summary
Peoria's Outdoor Light Control Code requires every nonexempt outdoor fixture, from parking lot lights to landscape lighting, to be fully or partially shielded and filtered per Table 20-60. Advertising searchlights are banned overnight, mercury vapor fixtures are outlawed outright, and violators face a class one misdemeanor with at least $100 per offense.
(a) All nonexempt outdoor artificial illuminating devices shall be fully and or partially shielded as required by the attached Table 20-60, Section 20-62(c). (b) All nonexempt outdoor artificial illuminating devices shall be filtered as required by the attached Table 20-60, Section 20-62(c). (c) The requirements for shielding and filtering light emissions from outdoor light fixtures shall be as set forth in the attached Table 20-60, Section 20-62(c).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-9: Supplement contains: LLocal legislation current through Ord. 2026-15, passed 6-16-26).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 20-60, Peoria adopted the Outdoor Light Control Code to stop artificial light from spilling into the night sky and interfering with astronomical observations. Sec. 20-61 defines "Fully Shielded" fixtures as those projecting light only below a horizontal plane through the lowest light-emitting point, and "Partially Shielded" as shielding below the lamp's centerline. Sec. 20-62 then ties every nonexempt fixture to Table 20-60: metal halide lamps must be fully shielded and filtered, high- and low-pressure sodium partially shielded, incandescent bulbs over 150 watts partially shielded, and 150 watts or less are exempt from both.
Sec. 20-63 requires anyone installing outdoor lighting to submit plans and fixture cut-sheets to the Community Development Department as part of a building or use permit, though utility companies under contract with the city are exempt. Sec. and prohibits mercury vapor fixtures entirely. Sec. except to finish an event already underway, and exempts facilities on federal or state land. Sec. 20-66 allows a temporary 30-day exemption, renewable, decided by the Community Development Director within five business days, with denials appealable to the City Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Violations & Fines
Violating the Outdoor Light Control Code is a class one misdemeanor under Sec. 20-67, carrying a fine of at least $100 per offense, and each day a noncompliant fixture keeps operating counts as a separate violation. The Community Development Director enforces compliance through the building and use permit process in Sec. 20-63, and a denied temporary exemption under Sec. 20-66 can be appealed to the City Zoning Board of Adjustment using the same procedure that applies to other Community Development Director decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Peoria require outdoor lights to be shielded?
Can I run advertising searchlights all night in Peoria?
What happens to lighting installed before the code took effect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria
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