Mesa, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential fixture height cap
- 15 ft (detached)
- DC/DB district cap
- 20 ft
- Non-residential near residential
- 15 ft within 50 ft
- Flashing/strobing lighting
- prohibited outright
- Height exceptions require
- photometric study review
Summary
Mesa caps outdoor lighting fixture height by district and use under Table 11-30-5, and bans motion effects outright: "Flashing, blinking, pulsing, chasing, and strobing effects are prohibited" on any exposed exterior building illumination. Together the height ceiling and the ban on moving light limit the wasted, skyward and off-site glow the ordinance is written to control.
C.Maximum Height of Lighting Fixtures.1.Lighting fixtures, including freestanding light poles as well as building-mounted lights, shall not exceed the maximum heights specified in Table 11-30-5 below. [Residential Districts: 15 ft detached; DC and DB Districts: 20 ft; All other Non-Residential Districts: within 50 feet of any street frontage, 20 ft; within 50 feet of a Residential District, 15 ft; any other location, 25 ft.] ... 5.Motion and Effects Prohibited. Flashing, blinking, pulsing, chasing, and strobing effects are prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 22).
Full Breakdown
Section 11-30-5(C)(1) of the Mesa Zoning Ordinance ties every freestanding and building-mounted light fixture to Table 11-30-5's height ceiling: 15 feet in Residential Districts (detached fixtures), 20 feet in the DC and DB Districts, and in all other non-residential districts a sliding scale of 20 feet within 50 feet of a street, 15 feet within 50 feet of a residential district, and 25 feet anywhere else on the site. Attached fixtures in residential districts cannot exceed the peak of the adjacent roofline. Subsection (D) separately regulates exposed exterior illumination -- neon, argon, LED or krypton tubing used to outline a building -- limiting it to two horizontal runs and one vertical run per facade, one static color per building, and barring any use as signage.
Subsection (D)(5) flatly prohibits "flashing, blinking, pulsing, chasing, and strobing effects," and (D)(6) requires that if any segment of that lighting system fails, the whole system must go dark until it's fully repaired -- eliminating the half-lit, malfunctioning displays that otherwise add to nighttime glare. The Section was last amended by Ord. No. 5996, § 4, adopted March 9, 2026.
Violations & Fines
Excess-height or flashing-light violations are cited under § 11-79-3 as Zoning Ordinance civil violations. Under § 11-79-4(A) a first finding brings a $150-$1,500 sanction, a second within 24 months brings $250-$2,500, and a third within 36 months brings $500-$2,500, with each day of the violation a separate offense billed on top of Code Compliance fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can an outdoor light pole be in Mesa?
Can a business use flashing accent lighting on its building in Mesa?
What if part of my building's accent lighting burns out?
Do single-family homes have to follow these lighting height limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa
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