Siskiyou County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Despite the rural Mount Shasta region's exceptional night skies, no dedicated dark-sky or comprehensive outdoor-lighting ordinance was identified for unincorporated Siskiyou County. The county's 2025 Zoning Code Audit describes glare as one of several performance standards a zoning code may use to ensure land-use compatibility (alongside noise, vibration, and stormwater runoff), but it does not point to a county-wide lighting ordinance with specific shielding, lumen, or color-temperature requirements. In practice this means outdoor lighting on most rural parcels is not subject to a special county dark-sky standard, and any limits arise from the general nuisance and performance provisions of the Zoning Code and from the standards of a specific zoning district or use permit. Statewide, the California Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 6, the Energy Code) sets mandatory efficiency and control requirements for permanently installed outdoor lighting on new construction and additions, which applies in the county through the building-permit process. Property owners who want to protect dark skies voluntarily can use fully shielded, downward-directed fixtures and warmer color temperatures, consistent with widely recommended responsible-lighting practice, even though the county does not currently mandate them. For any project-specific lighting conditions, owners should confirm requirements with the Planning Division.