San Bernardino County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew
- 11:00 p.m. in mountain/desert zones
- Shielding
- Full shielding required on all fixtures
- Color temperature
- 3,000 Kelvin maximum
- Light trespass limit
- 0.1 foot-candle at property line
- Valley region
- 0.5 foot-candle limit, no curfew
Summary
Outdoor lighting in San Bernardino County's Mountain and Desert regions must be fully shielded and shut off by 11:00 p.m., with narrow exceptions for entry lighting and motion-sensor fixtures.
(d) Dark Sky Curfew. All outdoor lighting shall be extinguished by 11:00 p.m., close of business, or when people are no longer present in exterior areas, whichever is later, except for the following: (1) Lighting used for entry and exit points of a structure, parking areas, driveways and driveway ingress/egress points; or (2) Lighting activated by a motion sensor that extinguishes no later than five minutes after activation.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 83.07 of the county's Development Code sets a Dark Sky Curfew for the Mountain and Desert regions: all outdoor lighting must be extinguished by 11:00 p.m., close of business, or when no one remains in exterior areas, whichever is later. Exceptions cover entry/exit, parking and driveway lighting, and motion-sensor fixtures that shut off within five minutes of activation. Fixtures must also be fully shielded, correlated color temperature capped at 3,000 Kelvin, and light trespass held to one-tenth foot-candle at the property line. The Valley region instead caps trespass at five-tenths foot-candle with shielding required but no curfew. Non-conforming lighting had 18-24 months to comply after the 2021 ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Non-shielded, over-curfew, or over-limit lighting is enforced under Development Code Chapter 86.09 and Title 1 Chapter 2 of the County Code, which can mean code-enforcement notices and civil citations for continued violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the dark sky curfew apply everywhere in the county?
What lighting is exempt from the 11 p.m. shutoff?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino County to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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