San Jose enforces a low-pressure sodium-preferred outdoor lighting ordinance to protect Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. All new fixtures must be fully shielded, and color temperature is capped at 2700K in observatory-proximate zones. Non-essential lighting must extinguish by 11:00 PM.
San Jose's outdoor lighting standards work in concert with the Santa Clara County Outdoor Lighting Ordinance to protect Lick Observatory, operated by the University of California atop Mount Hamilton. All new outdoor luminaires within city limits must be fully shielded so no light is emitted above the horizontal plane. In the Mount Hamilton Lighting Zone (east San Jose closest to Lick), color temperature is capped at 2700 Kelvin and low-pressure sodium is the preferred technology. Outside that zone, the cap is 3000 Kelvin. Non-essential outdoor lighting — signage, decorative landscape, parking lots after close — must be extinguished or motion-activated by 11:00 PM. Sports fields, hospitals, and public-safety installations have specific exemptions but must still meet shielding requirements. The International Dark-Sky Association has recognized the Mount Hamilton complex as a strong example of public-private cooperation between a major university observatory and surrounding municipalities, including San Jose, Morgan Hill, and unincorporated Santa Clara County.
Civil penalties start at $100 per fixture per day and escalate to $500 for continuing violations. Building permits and Certificates of Occupancy can be withheld pending lighting compliance. Repeat violators face administrative hearings with mandatory retrofit orders.
San Jose, CA
San Jose Municipal Code Title 7 (Animal Care and Control) requires dogs in public places, city parks, and trails to be on a leash no longer than six feet, re...
San Jose, CA
San Jose imposes no general restriction on year-round lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays on private residential property. The sign code (SJMC Ch...
San Jose, CA
San Jose has no city ordinance specifically regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Size, height, and motor noise are not restricted by the munic...
San Jose, CA
San Jose has no ordinance limiting the duration, brightness, or hours of residential holiday lighting. The general nuisance provisions in SJMC Title 6 and th...
San Jose, CA
A built-in outdoor kitchen in San Jose typically requires multiple permits: a building permit for any structural roof or counter exceeding the patio cover ex...
San Jose, CA
San Jose does not have a dedicated ordinance for backyard smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired ovens. Use is governed by the multifamily balcony restriction...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Santa Clara County.
See how other cities in Santa Clara County handle dark sky rules.
See how San Jose's dark sky rules rules stack up against other locations.
Quick Compare
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.