Vacaville, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

110, Light and Glare, is Vacaville's general outdoor-lighting performance standard, and subsection C sets the numeric limits that keep site lighting from spilling excess light into the night sky or onto adjoining land. All developments must light exterior areas to at least one footcandle, enough for security and wayfinding, but no more than three footcandles, capping the intensity that produces glare and sky glow. G. Flickering or flashing lights are prohibited without exception; there is no administrative path to approve them. The only flexibility built into the footcandle band is a case-by-case exception from the Director of Community Development: an applicant can be allowed to go below the one-footcandle floor if the minimum lighting is shown to be unnecessary for the site, or above the three-footcandle ceiling if the Director finds additional lighting is actually needed, for example around a loading dock or a security-sensitive entrance.

Because subsection A of the same section separately requires that lighting be shielded and directed so it does not create a hazard or nuisance on adjacent properties, the footcandle cap and the shielding duty work together: the cap limits how bright a fixture can be at the source, while the shielding rule controls where that light is allowed to travel. 240.