Maui County, HI Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 20.35.060E lists four requirements that apply to every outdoor lighting fixture except neon: the fixture must not be aimed against a structure in a way that causes glare visible from any abutting property; it must not be aimed upward toward the sky or directed at the ocean or any abutting property; its height, as determined by the director of public works, must be minimized to the fullest extent possible; and it must be traffic color compliant, meaning its 1931 CIE color coordinates fall outside the traffic-signal color boxes defined by ITE ST-052 500/AGS-PM/1105 under the definition in section 20.35.040.

These anti-trespass rules sit inside the same chapter as the shielding, mercury vapor and blue-light standards in subsections A through D, and the department of public works administers and enforces all of them together under section 20.35.030. Section 20.35.070C phases in enforcement for older installations: any outdoor fixture legally installed or used as portable lighting before October 21, 2022, was exempt from subsections D and E only until October 21, 2025, after which the anti-glare and spectrum limits apply to it as well, except that temporary lighting used on County or state construction projects stays exempt for as long as no compliant fixtures are available at comparable cost. Certain low-wattage holiday lights, aviation obstruction lighting and emergency lighting remain permanently exempt from the chapter under section 20.35.070A.