Scottsdale, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Measurement point
- property line, 6 feet above grade
- Non-residential onto single-family
- max 0.3 foot candles
- Single-family onto single-family
- max 0.1 foot candles
- Curfew trigger
- fixtures at 2,600+ initial lumens
- Curfew hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Summary
Scottsdale measures light trespass at the property line, six feet above grade, with the meter facing the lit property. Non-residential or multi-family light spilling onto single-family land is capped at 0.3 foot candles, and single-family-to-single-family spillover is capped at 0.1 foot candles under Sec. 7.602.
3. Light trespass is measured at the property line at a point six feet above the finished grade, with the light meter facing the interior of the property on which the light source is placed. 4. Maximum light trespass: a. Non-residential or multiple-family use adjacent to or abutting single-family residential use, maximum: 0.3 foot candles. b. Single-family residential use adjacent to or abutting single-family residential use, maximum: 0.1 foot candles. c. Non-residential or multiple-family use adjacent to or abutting single-family use, maximum: subject to DRB approval.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
1 and its notes set the actual trespass ceilings. Note 3 fixes the measurement method: at the property line, at a point six feet above finished grade, with the light meter facing into the lit parcel. Note 4 then sets three tiers. 3 foot candles measured that way. 1 foot candle ceiling, the lowest allowance in the table. Where a non-residential or multiple-family use abuts single-family use in the reverse configuration, trespass is not fixed numerically but is instead subject to case-by-case Development Review Board approval.
, and where single-family abuts single-family, security lighting above that lumen threshold gets a narrow exception allowing operation for no more than 15 minutes at a time. Recreation lighting other than sports fields follows the DRB note for trespass, while sports fields are reviewed individually by the Development Review Board rather than held to the fixed foot-candle table. These trespass and curfew rules sit inside the same outdoor lighting standards that also govern shielding and full cutoff design.
Violations & Fines
Light measured above 0.3 foot candles onto neighboring single-family or multi-family land, or above 0.1 foot candles between adjoining single-family lots, exceeds Sec. 7.602's Table 7.602.A.1 maximum. Running a 2,600-lumens-or-greater fixture after 11:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m. outside the narrow 15-minute security lighting exception is likewise a violation the Zoning Administrator can require be corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is light trespass measured in Scottsdale?
What is the light trespass limit between two houses in Scottsdale?
Can my neighbor run bright security lights all night in Scottsdale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
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