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

Santa Cruz County does not maintain a stand-alone dark-sky ordinance for its unincorporated areas, but it controls light pollution through the lighting standards in the Site, Architectural and Landscape Design Review chapter of the County Code (Chapter 13.11, the lighting standard formerly numbered 13.11.073). Those standards require that all site, building, security, and landscape lighting be directed onto the site and away from adjacent properties, that light sources not be visible from adjacent properties, and that light sources be shielded by landscaping, structure, fixture design, or other physical means. Building and security lighting must be integrated into the building design. For parking and circulation areas, lighting must use low-rise light poles or building-mounted fixtures, with light poles limited to a maximum height of 15 feet, and area lighting must use energy-efficient fixtures such as high-pressure sodium vapor, metal halide, or fluorescent. These standards apply to development subject to design review (such as commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-family projects, and discretionary permits). In addition, the County's sign standards (County Code 13.10.581) prohibit illuminated signs within scenic corridors and require permitted sign lighting to be unobtrusive with glare directed onto the site. Coastal Zone development and projects within scenic resource areas may face additional lighting conditions through the discretionary permit process. For single-family homes not undergoing discretionary review, lighting is primarily governed by neighbor-impact (glare/light-trespass) considerations rather than a formal dark-sky standard.