Pima County, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Pima County Code § 18.79.070(D)
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Pima County only, not Tucson
- Core rule
- Sign light barred from adjacent property or street
- Cross-referenced code
- Outdoor Lighting Code, Chapter 15.12
- Max civil penalty
- $750/day individual, $10,000/day entity
- Enforcement
- Chief zoning inspector under Chapter 18.95
- Dark sky option
- 25% size bonus, zero trespass allowed
Summary
Unincorporated Pima County caps how sign lighting can spill onto neighbors: Code § 18.79.070(D) bars a sign's light source from being visible from an adjacent property or the street and requires every illuminated sign to meet the county's Outdoor Lighting Code, Chapter 15.12. A tighter no-trespass standard applies to signs that opt into the county's dark sky incentive program.
D. Illumination.
1. Signs may be illuminated, except where expressly prohibited in this chapter.
2. A sign shall comply with the standards of the Outdoor Lighting Code (Chapter 15.12).
3. A light source of a sign shall not be visible from: a. Above except as allowed in the Outdoor Lighting Code (Chapter 15.12), and, b. An adjacent property or street.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
070(D), part of the zoning code's sign standards, governs light trespass from signs on unincorporated county land, the area outside Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and South Tucson, each of which enforces its own sign code. 3 flatly bars a sign's light source from being visible from above (except as the Outdoor Lighting Code allows) or from an adjacent property or street. 070(E)(2)); the sign-property owner or an authorized representative applies, and the fee follows the schedule the Board of Supervisors adopts. 070(E)(6). , only the sign copy may be lit, the light source is capped at 3000K color temperature and 100 nits, and externally illuminated signs must be fully shielded with top-down light only, with 'light trespass onto any other property prohibited' outright and no exception.
Violations & Fines
A zoning inspector investigates complaints, and a hearing officer who finds a violation can impose a civil penalty of up to $750 per day for an individual or $10,000 per day for a corporation, association or labor union (§ 18.95.040(A)); each day the sign remains out of compliance is a separate offense. The sign permit tied to the violation can also be suspended or revoked under § 18.79.070(E)(6). Decisions may be appealed to the Board of Supervisors and then to superior court under A.R.S. § 12-901 et seq.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this light trespass rule apply inside Tucson?
What exactly counts as light trespass from a sign?
Can a sign get bigger if it controls light spill?
What happens if a sign violates the light trespass rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pima County
Compare Pima County to another location·View the Arizona outdoor lighting overview
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