Solano County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

Light trespass - light spilling onto neighboring property - is addressed in unincorporated Solano County through the performance and development standards in Chapter 28, rather than a standalone illumination ordinance. The code repeatedly requires lighting 'capable of providing adequate illumination for security and safety and directed away from adjacent properties and public rights-of-way to prevent offensive light or glare.' For specific uses, lighting must be 'directional lighting that directs the light downward and inward toward the project site so as not to create a nuisance to neighbors,' and event lighting 'shall be downcast and shielded so that neither the lamp nor the reflector interior surface is visible from any off-site location.' The county's general performance standards prohibit 'glint or glare detectable beyond any property line or by overflying aircraft,' which functions as a practical anti-trespass limit. Lighting must also be constructed so as to 'in no way disturb the living environment in the abutting residential district.' These provisions are enforced through project conditions and code compliance when spillover creates a nuisance. Because there is no single quantitative footcandle limit at the property line, persistent light-trespass disputes are typically handled as nuisance/code-compliance matters; document the spillover and contact Code Compliance via the Planning Division (707-784-6765).