Milpitas, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

Light trespass, glare, and spillover onto neighboring property are addressed in Milpitas chiefly through the Off-Street Parking Regulations, Municipal Code Section XI-10-53. The Design Standards (XI-10-53.13) require that all lights used to illuminate a parking area be designed, located, and arranged so as to reflect the light away from any street and any adjacent premises, a performance standard intended to keep illumination on the subject site and out of neighbors' windows and the public roadway. Milpitas does not publish a single numeric foot-candle-at-the-property-line cap for all uses in its zoning code; instead, exterior lighting on new or modified development is reviewed through the City's design-review and site-development-permit process, where staff routinely condition projects to use shielded and downward-directed fixtures, to aim lighting away from adjoining residences, and to avoid glare onto public streets. Residential nuisance lighting that does not fall under a development permit can also be addressed through the City's general nuisance and code-enforcement authority where it unreasonably interferes with a neighbor's use and enjoyment of their property. Owners experiencing a specific light-trespass problem from a neighboring property should contact Code Enforcement or the Planning Division, since relief usually comes from applying the parking-lighting standard or permit conditions to require re-aiming or shielding of the offending fixtures.