Merced, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

The City of Merced does not set a footcandle-based light-trespass limit at property lines, but several Zoning Ordinance provisions function to control light spilling onto neighbors. The clearest is Section 20.62.160 (sign illumination, Ord. No. 2549, 2023), which requires that sign lighting 'not be of an intensity or brightness that will create a nuisance for residential uses in a direct line of sight to the sign,' that light sources be shielded from all adjacent buildings and streets, and that lighting not create excessive glare for pedestrians or motorists. Illuminated signs adjacent to a residential area must be controlled by a rheostat or similar method to reduce glare, and internally illuminated signs may not be located within 100 feet of a residential zone. Signs in residential zones may only be indirectly illuminated by a concealed source and may not stay lit between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. For non-sign lighting, the City addresses glare through design review - for example, Section 20.46.030 requires screening and treatment of exterior elements in multi-family projects. Beyond the zoning code, persistent light spillover onto a neighboring residence can be addressed as a nuisance under the City's general nuisance and code-enforcement authority. There is no city ordinance setting a maximum allowable light level measured at the receiving property line, so disputes between neighbors over residential floodlights are generally handled as nuisances or through Development Services rather than under a dedicated light-trespass standard.