Siskiyou County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

There is no stand-alone light-trespass or glare ordinance identified for unincorporated Siskiyou County. The county's 2025 Zoning Code Audit lists glare among the performance standards that a zoning code can use to maintain compatibility between uses, alongside noise, vibration, and stormwater runoff, but the county does not appear to set a numeric light-trespass threshold (such as a maximum foot-candle level at the property line) for typical rural parcels. As a result, a neighbor's complaint about light spilling across a property line is generally evaluated under the Zoning Code's general performance and nuisance provisions, under any lighting conditions attached to a discretionary use permit, or as a private nuisance under California Civil Code (Sections 3479-3480), which defines a nuisance to include anything that unlawfully interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of property. Discretionary projects approved through a use permit may carry conditions requiring fixtures to be shielded and directed away from neighboring parcels and roadways. For most residential and agricultural properties, however, the practical remedy for objectionable light is to ask the neighbor to shield or aim the fixture, and, if needed, to pursue the matter through the county's general code-enforcement process or a civil nuisance claim. Owners planning bright security or yard lighting on rural parcels should aim fixtures downward and shield them to avoid disputes.