Valencia County, NM Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Valencia County Code § 92.22(A) covers any outdoor light used for the illumination of parking areas, loading areas, recreation areas, or for any other private or public purpose, and requires those fixtures to be arranged to meet listed conditions. The first, § 92.22(A)(1), is the light-trespass rule itself: lights shall be fully shielded or arranged in a manner so that concentrated rays of light will not shine directly onto other properties. Two more conditions apply to the same fixtures: § 92.22(A)(2) bars any direct or reflected light from creating a traffic hazard for drivers or using colored lights that could be confused with traffic control devices, and § 92.22(A)(3) requires lights to stay steady, not blinking, flashing or fluttering, once they're 8 feet or more above ground level.

Six categories of lighting are exempt from all of § 92.22 under § 92.22(B): emergency lighting, warning-device lights (fire, law enforcement, ambulance), authorized public works lighting for highways, roads and irrigation canals, temporary holiday lighting displays, lighting required by other local, state or federal rules including the New Mexico Night Sky Protection Act, and county-authorized recreational lighting. Because the shielding requirement in § 92.22(A)(1) applies to parking, loading and recreation-area lighting specifically, a homeowner whose neighbor runs an unshielded yard floodlight that spills across the property line has a direct citation to point to when reporting the trespassing light to Code Enforcement.