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

Yuma's outdoor lighting chapter defines light trespass precisely and then bans it. Under § 154-18.02(A), light trespass is a condition in which artificial light emitted from a luminaire on one property, not inclusive of light incidentally scattered or reflected from adjacent surfaces, is directed in such a manner that the light source is visible from any other property. Section 154-18.02(R) then states plainly that light trespass is prohibited, except for fixtures the chapter or its shielding requirements specifically exempt, such as fossil-fuel-burning fixtures or those on federal and state land, § 154-18.03(B)-(C).

The code backs the definition with concrete limits: light poles are capped at 12 feet in height when located within 25 feet of a residential use, § 154-18.02(I), and any bottom-mounted or up-lighting fixture directed upward is restricted to a 45-degree angle from horizontal so it does not spill past its target, § 154-18.02(C). For commercial development, the permit submittal must include a photometric survey covering the area one foot beyond the subject property line specifically to demonstrate no light trespass onto neighboring parcels, § 154-18.04(A)(3).

Fixtures of 70 watts (700 lumens) or less, and neon or noble-gas tube lighting, are exempt from the general shielding rules that otherwise prevent trespass, § 154-18.02(O), (P).