Yucaipa, CA Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)
Key Facts
- Glare cap at residential line
- 0.5 foot candles (point five-tenths)
- Source districts covered by § 87.0920
- Community Industrial and Regional Industrial
- Measuring instrument
- Photoelectric photometer
- Home occupation rule
- No glare onto an adjacent parcel (§ 84.0615)
- Parking lot lighting
- Reflect light and glare away from adjacent residences
- First offense fine
- $50 to $100
Summary
In the City of Yucaipa, California, an activity in a Community Industrial or Regional Industrial District cannot cause glare above 0.5 foot candles when measured in a Residential District or lot. Yucaipa Development Code § 87.0920 sets the measuring method, and narrower rules cover home occupations, kennels and parking lots.
(a) Glare levels shall be measured with a photoelectric photometer, following the standard spectral luminous efficiency curve adopted by the International Commission on Illumination. (b) Any activity producing glare in a Community Industrial or Regional Industrial District shall be carried on so that direct or indirect light from the source shall not cause glare above point five-tenths (0.5) foot candles when measured in a Residential District or lot.
Full Breakdown
Yucaipa Development Code § 87.0920 is the glare standard in the City of Yucaipa, California. Subsection (a) fixes how glare is measured: with a photoelectric photometer, following the standard spectral luminous efficiency curve adopted by the International Commission on Illumination. Subsection (b) sets the limit: any activity producing glare in a Community Industrial or Regional Industrial District must be carried on so that direct or indirect light from the source does not cause glare above point five-tenths (0.5) foot candles when measured in a Residential District or lot.
The section sits in Chapter 9, Performance Standards. Section 87.0901 applies that chapter to residential, institutional, commercial and industrial land uses and describes performance standards as a way to mitigate environmental impacts that include noise, air quality, glare, heat, and waste disposal and runoff control. Nothing in § 87.0920 sets a foot candle cap for a homeowner's floodlight or a retail parking lot. Narrower provisions elsewhere in the Development Code address specific uses.
Home occupation conditions in § 84.0615 require that any activity producing glare be carried on so that direct or indirect light from the source does not cause glare onto an adjacent parcel. The private kennel permit conditions in § 84.0630 provide that all direct and indirect glare from the source shall not cause glare upon adjacent property owners. The parking standards in § 87.0605 require that all parking area lighting reflect light and glare away from public thoroughfares and any adjacent residences.
Enforcement of the Development Code falls to the officers listed in § 81.0210: the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Community Development Director, City Planner, City Building Official, City Engineer, City Code Enforcement Officer and City Fire Marshall. Section 81.0225 adds that any building, structure or use of property contrary to the Development Code is unlawful and a public nuisance, and an action for injunctive relief can be commenced to abate it.
Violations & Fines
Violating the Development Code is an infraction or misdemeanor under § 81.0205. A first offense carries a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $100, a second offense not less than $100 and not more than $200, and a third offense is a misdemeanor with fines from $500 to $1,000, six months in jail, or both. Each day is a separate offense. Under § 81.0225 a use contrary to the Code is a public nuisance subject to injunction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Yucaipa limit light from a neighbor's backyard floodlight?
How is glare measured in the City of Yucaipa?
Do parking lot lights have to avoid neighboring homes?
What happens if a business keeps violating the glare rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yucaipa
California rules heatmap·Compare Yucaipa to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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