Turlock, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass (2026)

Light trespass - unwanted light spilling from one property onto a neighbor's - is addressed in the City of Turlock through the zoning code's lighting performance standards rather than a single numeric ordinance. The City's sign regulations require external light sources to be directed and shielded so they do not create glare or other negative impacts on residential properties in direct line of sight, and require externally illuminated signs to use focused or shielded fixtures that prevent light or glare from shining above the top of the sign or onto a public right-of-way or adjoining property. For site and parking lighting, the City's development standards require lights in parking areas to be shielded and reflected away from adjacent uses. Together these provisions give the City a basis to require that lighting from commercial sites, parking lots, signs, and multifamily projects be contained on-site and not spill onto neighboring homes. The standards are applied mainly through site-plan and design-review approvals for new and modified projects; for existing lighting that bothers neighbors, the same shielding and 'reflected away from adjacent uses' requirements provide the reference point. Residents troubled by a neighbor's or business's lighting should document the spillover and contact Code Enforcement at (209) 664-7348 or the Planning Division at (209) 668-5640, since Turlock does not publish a specific residential-to-residential foot-candle limit.