Tucson's Outdoor Lighting Code requires fully-shielded fixtures, caps color temperature at 3000K, and sets a strict per-acre lumen budget tied to observatory protection zones around Kitt Peak and Mt. Lemmon. Most non-essential lighting must be off by 10:00 PM. Tucson is an IDA-certified Urban Night Sky Place.
Tucson's Outdoor Lighting Code (OLC), administered by Planning & Development Services, is one of the strongest urban dark-sky ordinances in the United States. The code implements Arizona Revised Statutes 49-1101 et seq. and adds Tucson-specific zones (E1 through E4) tied to distance from Kitt Peak National Observatory and the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. All new outdoor luminaires must be fully shielded (zero light above the horizontal plane), and color temperature is capped at 3000 Kelvin citywide with 2700K preferred in residential zones. Each parcel receives a lumen budget per net acre that combines all wall packs, canopy, parking-lot, and landscape lighting. Non-essential lighting — signage, decorative landscape, building-facade — must be extinguished by 10:00 PM or controlled by motion sensors. The city worked with the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) to earn Urban Night Sky Place status in 2020. Sports field, hospital, and public-safety lighting receive specific exemptions but must still meet shielding requirements.
Initial notice with 30-day cure period. Continuing violations carry civil penalties of $100 per fixture per day up to $2,500. Retrofit is required to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy for any tenant improvement that touches the electrical system.
Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ
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