Yuba City, CA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Nonresidential parking lot minimum
- 1 foot-candle, dusk to close
- Multifamily walkway minimum
- 0.25 foot-candle at ground level
- Fixture height cap
- 18 feet above finished grade
- Fixture type required
- Energy-efficient, indirect diffused
- Documentation required
- Photometric data before permit issuance
- Exceeding height cap
- Requires a use permit
Summary
Yuba City has no dark-sky ordinance limiting light pollution, but Article 58 of the zoning code sets minimum lighting levels for parking lots and buildings and caps fixture height at 18 feet, requiring energy-efficient, indirect diffused lighting coordinated with landscaping.
Parking lots for uses that require five or more spaces shall be lit in accordance with the following: (a)Residential parking lots. Open parking lots and carports shall be provided with a maintained minimum of one foot-candle of light on the entire paved area of the parking surface during the hours of darkness... ... (c)Lighting type/height. Lights shall be an energy-efficient, indirect diffused type and shall not exceed a height of greater than 18 ft. above finished grade.(d)Coordination with landscape plans. Lighting design shall be coordinated with the landscape plan to assure that vegetation growth will not interfere with the intended illumination.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5801 requires any parking lot serving five or more spaces to carry a maintained minimum of one foot-candle of light across the paved surface: residential lots and carports during the hours of darkness, and nonresidential lots used by the public from dusk until the business closes each day. Subsection (c) then caps how that light can be delivered rather than how bright it can get: fixtures must be an energy-efficient, indirect diffused type and cannot exceed 18 feet above finished grade, and subsection (d) requires the lighting design to be coordinated with the landscape plan so mature vegetation will not block the required illumination.
Sec. 25 foot-candle at ground level during darkness, and every exterior door on a nonresidential building needs at least one foot-candle, with all exterior bulbs protected by weather- and vandal-resistant covers. A separate use permit process under Sec. 5805 is the only way to exceed the 18-foot height cap in any zoning district. None of this amounts to a light-pollution ordinance in the sense of limiting total lumens, color temperature, or curfews on decorative or sign lighting; Yuba City's code is built around guaranteeing a lighting floor for safety while capping fixture height and mandating diffused, shielded types, and pairing that with the light-trespass shielding duty in the adjacent Sec. 5803.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 8-5.5804 requires photometric data to be submitted before a building permit is issued proving the lighting requirements of Article 58 are satisfied, so a project that cannot demonstrate compliance with the foot-candle minimums, the 18-foot height cap, or the diffused-fixture requirement does not receive a building permit for the affected work until the photometric plan is corrected and resubmitted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Yuba City have a dark-sky lighting ordinance?
How bright does my parking lot need to be in Yuba City?
How tall can a parking lot light pole be?
What proof does the City need before approving my lighting plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuba City
California rules heatmap·Compare Yuba City to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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