Pomona, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 640.A.3.b of the Zoning and Development Code, effective July 1, 2024, is Pomona's light-trespass control and sets two independent limits. First, a footcandle ceiling: the maximum light level from any fixture, measured at the right-of-way line of a street, cannot exceed an average of 2.5 footcandles, and the uniformity ratio (the spread between the brightest and dimmest points) cannot exceed 4:1, which keeps a property from washing the street or a neighbor's frontage in uneven glare. Second, an orientation ban: lighting cannot be oriented onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks under 640.A.3.b.3, so a fixture aimed to spill directly across a property line into a neighbor's yard or window is noncompliant even if it stays under the footcandle cap.

These standards sit alongside the full-cutoff shielding rule in 640.A.3.c and the floodlight aiming rule in 640.A.3.d, both of which also work to keep light on the source property: floodlights within 50 feet of a right-of-way must aim perpendicular to it within a 15-degree tolerance, and all light sources must carry a Color Rendering Index of 80 or higher. The standards apply to any fixture installed after July 1, 2024 and to any existing fixture that is replaced, relocated, or has its wattage or type changed under 640.A.2.b.2; simple relamping or ballast swaps are exempt.

Any project adding parking or pedestrian-area lighting must submit a photometric plan under 640.A.2.c showing compliance with the footcandle and orientation limits before Development Services will issue a permit.