Cupertino limits light trespass onto neighboring property under Municipal Code Chapter 19.102: no exterior light may cast more than 0.1 foot-candle onto an adjacent property, measured at the shared property line, and no direct off-site glare may be visible above three feet at a public right-of-way.
Under CMC 19.102.040, no exterior light, combination of lights, or activity may cast light exceeding 0.1 foot-candle onto an adjacent or nearby property. The level is measured at the property line between the lot on which the light is located and the adjacent lot, at the point nearest the light source. An exception applies only where two adjacent properties are both non-residential or function as a shopping center and agree to coordinate lighting. Separately, no direct off-site glare may be visible above three feet at a public right-of-way, and on-site intensity may not exceed a maintained ten foot-candles at finished grade. These standards reinforce the requirement that all outdoor fixtures be fully shielded and directed away from neighboring properties.
Lighting that spills over 0.1 foot-candle onto a neighbor or creates off-site glare can trigger correction notices and orders to reshield, reaim, or dim the fixtures.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
cupertino-ca
Under California's SB 1383, Cupertino residents and businesses must keep food scraps and yard trimmings out of the trash and use Recology South Bay's organic...
cupertino-ca
Artificial turf is not counted as drought-tolerant landscaping in California, and under SB 676 (Government Code 53087.7) cities like Cupertino may regulate s...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino's Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 14.15) implements California's MWELO and caps turf at 25% of landscape area, favoring...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino places no ban on residential rainwater harvesting and actively encourages on-site rainwater and graywater capture in its Water-Efficient Landscape ...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino has permanent water-waste prohibitions under Municipal Code Chapter 15.32, banning runoff, hosing pavement, and un-nozzled hoses. Water is supplied...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino declares overgrown weeds and dry brush a fire nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 9.08, enforced through a Santa Clara County weed abatement prog...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Santa Clara County.
See how other cities in Santa Clara County handle light trespass.
See how Cupertino's light trespass rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.