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

San Benito County Code § 25.07.012 (Outdoor Lighting) sets the County's dark-sky-oriented standards for the unincorporated area. All outdoor lighting must be constructed with full shielding and/or recessed fixtures to reduce light trespass onto adjoining properties, and each fixture must be directed downward and away from adjoining properties and public rights-of-way so that no light fixture directly illuminates an area outside the site. Functional minimums and maximums are set for safety areas: parking lots, driveways, trash enclosures, and group mailboxes must be lit to a minimum maintained one foot-candle with an average not exceeding four foot-candles, while pedestrian walkways in commercial and industrial zones require a minimum maintained one-half foot-candle with an average not exceeding two foot-candles. Applicants must submit photometric data showing foot-candle readings every ten feet within the site and ten feet beyond the property lines, which lets the County verify that spill light is controlled. The maximum height of freestanding outdoor light fixtures and related structures is limited to 18 feet when the fixture abuts or is within 25 feet of a residential zoning district. The section also cross-references Chapter 19.31 of the County Code and provides that, where § 25.07.012 and Chapter 19.31 conflict, the more restrictive standard applies. Together these rules function as the County's dark-sky protection for its rural night skies.