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

Light trespass - illumination spilling onto adjoining property - is regulated by Development Code Section 11.19.060 (Lighting and Illumination) and the performance standards of Section 11.26.070 (Lighting and Glare). Section 11.19.060 sets the trespass limits directly: 'No light or combination of lights... shall cast light exceeding one foot candle onto a public street, with the illumination level measured at the centerline of the street,' and 'no light... shall cast light exceeding 0.5 foot candle onto a residentially zoned property, or any property containing residential uses.' Section 11.26.070 restates these performance standards, providing that lighting shall be shielded or modified to prevent emission of adverse light or glare onto adjacent property, that floodlight glare not be directed onto other property or a street, and that light cast onto a public street not exceed one foot-candle (measured from centerline) and onto residential uses not exceed one-half foot-candle. The code reinforces these limits with the full-cutoff shielding requirement in 11.19.060 (IESNA 'Cut Off' / 'Full Cut Off' luminaires) so that fixtures throw light downward rather than horizontally toward neighbors. Photometric documentation may be required to show compliance. As with the general lighting standard, these provisions apply to new multi-family residential and non-residential development, changes of use, and additions expanding floor area by 10 percent or more.