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

080 of the Santa Rosa Zoning Code applies to all outdoor lighting on private property, residential and commercial alike. Subsection A sets a maximum mounting height for outdoor light standards that scales with land use: 17 feet for Single-Family Residential, 14 feet for Multi-Family Residential, and 16 feet for both Business and Light Industrial Parks and Retail Centers and Commercial Districts. Subsection B requires that fixtures use energy-efficient lamps, naming high pressure sodium and hard-wired compact fluorescent as qualifying examples, or any technology of equal or greater efficiency.

Subsection C separately requires a minimum of one footcandle of light at ground level, during business hours, in any area that sees frequent vehicular or pedestrian traffic, for safety and security. Subsection F bars any permanently installed fixture from blinking, flashing, or showing unusually high intensity or brightness, as determined by the Director of Community Development, which reaches decorative and security lighting alike. Because these standards sit in Chapter 20-30 (Standards for All Development and Land Uses), they apply citywide regardless of zoning district, and Design Review staff check fixture cut sheets against them before issuing a building permit for new site lighting.