Apple Valley, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

The Town of Apple Valley controls light trespass (light spilling onto neighboring property or streets) chiefly through Development Code Section 9.70.020(H), Light and Glare. The code requires that all lighting used in parking lots for security or safety be scheduled so light rays are projected below the imaginary horizontal plane passing through the lowest point of the fixture, and directed away from streets and adjoining properties. Security or accent lighting for single-family residences must be shielded to project downward, or otherwise directed away from streets and adjoining properties. The intensity of light at the boundary of any multi-family, commercial, or industrial zoning district may not exceed 75 foot lamberts from a source of reflected light, and parking-lot/security lighting affixed to poles or structures may not exceed 20 feet in height. Flashing lights are prohibited, and lighting standards and fixtures must be compatible with the architecture of on-site buildings. The sign code complements these rules: Section 9.74.110(E) requires externally illuminated signs to be arranged and shielded to confine direct light rays to the sign face and away from streets and adjacent properties, and Section 9.74.050(G) prohibits signs not effectively shielded against glare directed at the traveled way. Together these provisions give the Town a basis to require shielding or redirection of fixtures that throw light onto a neighbor's property.