Richmond, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Richmond regulates exterior lighting under its zoning code and design guidelines to prevent light trespass onto neighboring properties, reduce glare, and minimize impacts on shoreline wildlife along the San Francisco Bay. While Richmond is not a designated International Dark Sky Association community, the city requires new commercial, industrial, and multifamily development to use fully-shielded, full-cutoff light fixtures that direct light downward. Upward-directed lighting (uplighting of buildings, signs, and landscaping) is restricted. Residential outdoor lighting should be shielded to avoid direct glare onto neighboring properties. Sensitive shoreline areas, particularly near wetlands, Point Isabel, and wildlife habitat zones, have enhanced lighting standards to protect migratory birds and nocturnal wildlife. Lighting color temperature is increasingly being regulated, with warm-spectrum (3000K or lower) LEDs preferred. Light trespass at residential property lines typically cannot exceed 0.5 foot-candles. Parking lot lighting has specific mounting height and full-cutoff requirements. Enforcement occurs through code enforcement complaints and during development review.