Tucson, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 6-101 of the Tucson Code adopts "the document entitled 'City of Tucson/Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code,' a copy of which is attached to Ordinance No. 10963 as Exhibit A" as the city's Outdoor Lighting Code, expressly carving out "those provisions which are designed for use by Pima County" so the city's own version governs inside Tucson limits. The code has been amended repeatedly since its original 1985 adoption under Ordinance No. 6344, most recently by Ordinance No. 10963 in 2012, and traces back to a 1981 predecessor that was literally titled the "Light Pollution Code" before council rebranded it.

Three copies of the adopted code must be kept on file at the city clerk's office under § 6-102 for public inspection during regular office hours, and any future amendments must likewise be filed under § 6-103. Enforcement runs through the technical division of the administrative hearing office, which the code cross-references as having "exclusive jurisdiction over alleged violations of outdoor lighting code" under § 28-4(1), meaning light-pollution complaints go to a hearing officer, not municipal court, for adjudication. Penalties are set out in § 6-104: it is a civil infraction to violate any provision of the code, each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and the fine floor and ceiling ($50 to $1,000 per violation) cannot be suspended by the hearing officer.

The officer may also impose "any other order deemed necessary in the discretion of the judge, including correction or abatement of the violation," which in practice covers shielding retrofits or fixture replacement.