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

Trinity County does not have a stand-alone light-trespass standard capping illuminance at the property line for general residential or commercial fixtures. The applicable countywide rule is the glare performance standard in the draft Zoning Code Section 17.50.050(G) (Public Review Draft, April 2026), carried from adopted Section 17.30.100(H): no use, activity, or process may produce direct or reflected glare visible from any property line and adjacent parcel, and sky-reflected glare must be reasonably controlled so it does not create a nuisance, inconvenience, or annoyance or interfere with the use and enjoyment of nearby property. This functions as the county's main protection against light spilling onto neighbors. More specific, stronger light-trespass language exists for particular land uses: for certain conditional uses the code requires that all new exterior or outdoor lighting be shielded and directed so that no direct light falls outside the parcel line or onto the public; agritourism lighting must be hooded and directed away from roads and neighboring parcels; and telecommunications-facility lighting (including any security motion-sensor lights) must be directed downward and shielded from adjacent properties. There is no general numeric foot-candle limit at residential property lines. Where light intrusion is severe and not covered by these provisions, a property owner's recourse is typically a private nuisance claim, and permitted construction must still meet California's Title 24 lighting standards.