Mountain View, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Multi-family lighting minimum
- 1.0 footcandle at ground level
- Nonresidential door lighting
- 1.0 footcandle at exterior doors
- Parking-lot lighting plan
- Required over 10 spaces (nonresidential)
- Shielding standard
- No off-site glare or nuisance
- Enforced at
- Building permit plan review
Summary
Mountain View requires all exterior lighting on multi-family and nonresidential properties to be shielded so it does not cause off-site glare or nuisance, under City Code Sec. 8.22.05 and Sec. 8.22.10. Passageways, carports and building exteriors need at least one footcandle of illumination, and parking lots need a certified lighting plan before a building permit issues.
a.Exterior passageways and recesses related to and located within a building complex, shall be illuminated with an intensity of at least 1.0 footcandle at the ground level during the hours of darkness. Lighting devices shall be protected by weather-and vandalism-resistant covers and shall be designed to turn on automatically at night. Perimeter lighting shall be designed and shielded so as not to cause off-site glare or nuisance.b.Open exterior parking lots shall be lit in accordance with a detailed plot plan which must be submitted at building permit application that shows the light levels on the entire parking lot and which is further supported by certification that the lighting equipment will not cause inappropriate off-site glare. Lighting devices shall be protected by weather- and vandalism-resistant covers.c.Exterior carports shall be provided with lighting for nighttime security which shall be illuminated with an intensity of a minimum of 1.0 footcandle at ground level. The lighting shall be designed and shielded so as not to cause off-site glare or nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 34 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Division 7 of Article II of the Building Code sets exterior lighting standards separately for multi-family residential and nonresidential development. Under Sec. ' Open exterior parking lots at multi-family properties require a detailed plot plan submitted with the building permit application showing lighting levels across the lot, certified not to cause inappropriate off-site glare. 0 footcandle for nighttime security, again shielded against off-site glare. Sec. ' Both sections route enforcement through the building division of the community development department, since compliance is checked at building permit application and plan review rather than through a standalone lighting permit. There is no citywide single-family lighting curfew or fixture-shielding mandate in this Division; it reaches multi-family and nonresidential development only.
Violations & Fines
Because lighting compliance is verified at building permit plan review, a project that cannot certify its parking-lot lighting plan or that installs unshielded fixtures causing off-site glare can have its building permit held up or conditioned by the building division until the plot plan is corrected. A neighbor who experiences glare or nuisance lighting from a multi-family or nonresidential property can raise the Sec. 8.22.05/8.22.10 shielding standard with code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mountain View require outdoor lights to be shielded from neighboring properties?
How much exterior lighting is required at a Mountain View apartment complex?
Do commercial parking lots in Mountain View need a lighting plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mountain View
California rules heatmap·Compare Mountain View to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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