Santa Clarita, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

UDC § 17.51.050 exists to 'permit reasonable uses of outdoor lighting... minimize adverse off-site light trespass and/or obtrusive light... [and] reduce light pollution and preserve the nighttime environment.' It reaches all new outdoor lighting and any addition or replacement to existing fixtures, including parking lots, walkways, building entrances, landscaping, and building facades, though it exempts right-of-way lighting, health and safety code lighting, temporary emergency or construction lighting, pool and spa lighting under Electrical Code Article 680, and low-height public facilities of 35 feet or less.

The core shielding standard in § 17.51.050(D)(1)(a) requires that 'all lighting shall be directed downward and be of a cut-off design so the luminary and/or lens do not protrude below the luminary housing and is not visible from a public right-of-way.' Commercial, industrial, and mixed-use projects face an added curfew under § 17.51.050(D)(2)(b): outdoor lighting must switch off between 10 p.m. and sunrise, or one hour after closing for businesses open later, unless the property installs an automatic timer, a motion sensor that shuts off after 10 minutes, or a dimmer that cuts light output by at least half after 10 p.m.

Drop-down lenses, mercury vapor lamps, and searchlights, lasers, or any fixture that flashes, blinks, or moves are flatly prohibited under § 17.51.050(D)(4). Larger public facility lighting over 35 feet, such as City-owned sports fields, needs an administrative permit and a photometric study, and any owner seeking relief from these standards must apply for a Minor Use Permit under § 17.24.120.