Casa Grande, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Casa Grande's Dark Sky Ordinance, adopted by Ordinance 911 in 1983 and revised in 1990, governs light trespass under Chapter 15.48 of the Casa Grande Municipal Code, working alongside the zoning standard at § 17.58.010 that requires parking-lot, sign and structure lighting to deflect away from adjoining residential zones and public streets. Outdoor light fixtures, defined broadly to include search, spot and flood lights on buildings, recreational areas, parking lots, landscaping and signage, must be fully or partially shielded per § 15.48.050 so that light rays are projected below a horizontal plane running through the fixture's lowest light-emitting point.

Unshielded illumination of any building, landscaping or sign is prohibited outright unless the fixture is an incandescent unit under 150 watts, per § 15.48.100. The chapter does not apply to single-family residences unless a single fixture exceeds 150 watts. Mercury vapor fixtures have been barred from new installation since 90 days after the ordinance's 1983 adoption, and low-pressure sodium lamps are the preferred type for minimizing glare. Anyone installing outdoor lighting under a Title 17 building or use permit must submit plans showing compliance as part of that application; other installers apply directly to the zoning inspector, who may grant a special exemption only on a written finding of extreme geographic or geometric conditions.

Recreational facility lighting must go dark by 11 p.m. except to finish a game or event already underway, and advertising searchlights are banned outright. Nonconforming fixtures installed before the ordinance may stay in place indefinitely, but any replacement or structural alteration must bring the fixture into compliance.