Palm Desert, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Property line limit
- One-tenth foot-candle measured horizontally at adjacent property lines
- Residential neighbor limit
- 0.25 foot-candle at five feet inside the adjacent property
- Poles
- Not positioned at property line adjacent to residential
- Building-mounted height
- Eighteen feet next to residential lines, twenty feet elsewhere
- Hillside lighting
- Off by ten p.m., no luminaire above sixteen thousand lumens
- Sports lighting
- Off at ten p.m., partial lighting until ten-thirty p.m.
Summary
In the City of Palm Desert, California, § 24.16.040 limits spill light onto neighbors: no more than one-tenth foot-candle measured horizontally at adjacent property lines, and no more than 0.25 foot-candle measured five feet inside an adjacent residential property. Poles cannot sit at a property line next to residential land.
A. The requirements to minimize the off-site illumination onto adjoining properties shall include lower pole heights, glare shields and repositioning lighting poles. ... C. Lighting poles shall not be positioned at the property line adjacent to residential properties. D. Provide lighting fixtures with internal house side shielding so that no more than one-tenth foot-candle is measured horizontally at the adjacent property lines. ... F. All building-mounted luminaries shall be a maximum of eighteen feet above ground to the luminaire when adjoining residential property lines and a maximum of twenty feet above ground in other areas around the building. ... H. Where the adjacent property is residential, all lighting shall be arranged so as to direct the light away from the adjacent property by providing materials, methods, and designs so that no more than 0.25 foot-candle is measured at five feet inside the adjacent property.
Full Breakdown
Section 24.16.040 is the light trespass rule of the Palm Desert outdoor lighting chapter, and § 24.16.060 defines light trespass as an undesirable condition in which exterior light is cast where it is not wanted. The section names the tools for minimizing off-site illumination onto adjoining properties: lower pole heights, glare shields and repositioning lighting poles.
Two numeric limits apply. Fixtures must carry internal house side shielding so that no more than one-tenth foot-candle is measured horizontally at the adjacent property lines (subsection D). Where the adjacent property is residential, lighting must be arranged so that no more than 0.25 foot-candle is measured at five feet inside the adjacent property (subsection H). Both figures are printed in the section, so a design next to a house has to satisfy each.
Layout rules add to the limits. Lighting poles cannot be positioned at the property line adjacent to residential properties (subsection C). Building-mounted luminaires top out at eighteen feet above ground to the luminaire when adjoining residential property lines and twenty feet in other areas around the building (subsection F). Wall pack fixtures must meet full cut-off requirements and appear in every photometric plan (subsection G). Private tennis courts must meet the off-site requirements and provide photometric plans (subsection E). The project photometric plan has to show off-site foot-candles out to the point where 0.00 foot-candles is illustrated (subsection B).
Hillside lighting gets its own tier. It needs a detailed photometric plan showing horizontal and vertical foot-candles with a written justification, reviewed as part of a Hillside Development Plan under Title 25, LED sources with glare shields, no luminaire above sixteen thousand lamp lumens, and shut-off no later than ten p.m. until the following evening. Sports lighting for field sports must conform to § 24.16.040 and is turned off at ten p.m., with partial lighting until ten-thirty p.m. (§ 24.16.045(C)). Fixtures legally installed before the chapter took effect are exempt until reconstructed or replaced (§ 24.16.050(A)).
Violations & Fines
Chapter 24.16 prints no penalty clause of its own. Where no specific penalty is provided, § 1.12.010 sets a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six months, though code violations are prosecuted as infractions unless the city attorney indicates otherwise. Section 1.12.040 makes each day a separate offense. Applicants show compliance through the photometric plan required by § 24.16.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much light can spill onto a neighbor in the City of Palm Desert?
Can a light pole stand at the property line?
Do private tennis courts have to meet the light trespass rule?
When must hillside lighting be turned off?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Desert
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Desert to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Light Trespass & Shielding in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle light trespass & shielding.