San Diego County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Zone A
- 15 mi of Palomar/Mt. Laguna, fully shielded
- Zone C
- Julian & Borrego Springs, 50,000 lumens/acre cap
- Curfew
- Class I/III lights off 11pm-sunrise (Zones A/B)
- Permits
- Compliance evidence required with lighting permit applications
- Enforcement
- Director of Planning & Development Services
Summary
Unincorporated San Diego County requires new or altered outdoor luminaires to meet shielding, lumen, and curfew standards under one of three lighting zones set up to protect the Palomar and Mount Laguna observatories from light pollution.
All outdoor luminaires installed, relocated, reinstalled, substantially altered (to utilize a lamp wattage that exceeds the luminaire rating or with a different lamp other than an LED or CFL retrofit lamp), or located on a structure that requires a building permit shall comply with this chapter.
b) All outdoor lighting within Zone C shall comply with the requirements of this chapter within 10 years of the date on which it is adopted. Until such compliance, the requirements of the prior Zone A or Zone B shall remain in full force and effect.
c) This ordinance shall not supersede the requirements of any state or federal law. WHERE PROPERTIES ARE WITHIN BOTH ZONE A AND ZONE C, THE PROPERTY SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF ZONE C. (Added by Ord. No. 9974 (N.S.), effective 4-3-09; amended by Ord. No. 10691 (N.S.), effective 12-18-20)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-141: Administrative: Current through Ord. No. 11007 (N.S.), effective 7-10-26 | Regulatory: Current through Ord. No. 11008 (N.S.), effective 7-24-26).
Full Breakdown
The County Code divides the unincorporated area into three lighting zones. Zone A covers a 15-mile radius around the Palomar and Mount Laguna observatories and requires fully shielded fixtures, with unshielded lighting banned outright. Zone B applies to the rest of the unincorporated county under similar shielding and lumen limits. Zone C, the voluntary Dark-Sky area covering Julian and Borrego Springs, caps site lighting at 50,000 lumens per acre and requires a 3,000K maximum color temperature. Class I and III lighting must switch off between 11 p.m. and sunrise in Zones A and B, and any luminaire needing a building permit must show compliance before installation.
Violations & Fines
Planning & Development Services enforces the chapter; noncompliant fixtures can draw administrative citations, civil penalties, and a withheld certificate of occupancy until the installation matches approved lighting plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Diego County ban outdoor lighting?
Which areas fall under the strictest Zone C lighting rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Diego County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Diego County to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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