Light Trespass and Glare in San Diego

The City's Building & Land Use Enforcement Division, which handles private property complaints, lists contacting the responsible person as the first step, noting that most people are cooperative once a problem is brought to their attention. When you file a complaint, you will be asked if you have contacted the responsible party.

• Be specific. Say which light, where it shines (a bedroom window, a back yard) and when. Many people do not realize their light reaches the next property.
• Suggest a fix. Aiming a fixture down, adding a shield, using a lower-output or warmer bulb, or a motion sensor or timer often solves the problem. These follow the direction of the City's own rules, described below.
• Mediation. The City points residents to the National Conflict Resolution Center, 619-238-2400, to help start the conversation or resolve a dispute between neighbors.

The City's outdoor lighting rules are in Municipal Code section 142.0740, part of Chapter 14, Article 2, Division 7 (Off-Site Development Impact Regulations). The division says it applies to all development that produces glare or lighting in any zone, whether or not a permit is required. Section 142.0740 says its purpose is to minimize light pollution, including light trespass, glare and urban sky glow, to preserve enjoyment of the night sky and minimize conflict caused by unnecessary illumination, while still providing for public safety and saving energy.

• No direct beam onto other property. New outdoor lighting fixtures must minimize light trespass under the Green Building Regulations where they apply, or otherwise "direct, shield, and control light to keep it from falling onto surrounding properties." The code adds: "Zero direct-beam illumination shall leave the premises."
• Shielded, downward light. Shields and flat lenses are required to keep light below a horizontal plane through the lowest point of the fixture. Exceptions include residential entrance lights installed to building and electrical code requirements, fixtures under 2,000 initial lumens (including landscape and decorative lighting), sports fields, outdoor illuminated signs, designated historical resources, lighting required by the FAA, and some maintenance of existing lighting.
• Color temperature. Outdoor lighting may not exceed a nominal 4000 Kelvin correlated color temperature. Lower numbers are warmer, more yellow light.
• New fixtures, not old ones. The rules apply to all new outdoor lighting fixtures, including the replacement of previously conforming fixtures. Repairing an existing conforming fixture with parts of generally the same type and size is exempt. Where an electrical permit is required, the applicant must list each fixture's lumens and its backlight, uplight and glare rating.
• Exemptions. Lighting in the Centre City, Gaslamp Quarter and Marina Planned Districts is exempt from the flat lens, color temperature and curfew rules. Temporary lighting, including special events and holiday lights, is exempt from those same rules if it does not exceed 60 consecutive days or 120 days in a year. Lighting on land owned or controlled by the federal, state, County or City government or other public agencies is exempt from the division. Owners can request deviations with a Planned Development Permit.

A recent change. The 2,000-lumen threshold comes from an amendment effective July 15, 2026 (Ordinance O-22109). The Municipal Code notes that the amendment will not apply in the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it; the earlier text set the threshold at 4,050 lumens within the Coastal Overlay Zone.

Chapters 11 through 14 of the Municipal Code make up the Land Development Code (section 111.0101), and section 121.0302 makes it unlawful to maintain or use any premises in violation of it. A separate glare rule, section 142.0730, limits reflective building materials: no more than 50 percent of a building's exterior may be material with a light reflectivity factor above 30 percent.

Section 142.0740(c)(5) says all outdoor lighting, including search lights, shall be turned off between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., with these exceptions:

• commercial and industrial uses that stay fully operational after 11 p.m., such as sales, assembly and repair;
• lighting for security purposes, or to light walkways, roadways, equipment yards and parking lots, as long as adequate lighting for public safety is maintained and lighting is otherwise reduced after 11 p.m. where practicable;
• recreational lighting outside residential zones, if it has automatic timers and is shielded;
• illuminated signs, under the rules described in the next section;
• lighting for ATMs and their parking and access areas, under state law;
• lighting of the United States flag.

Signs are covered by the City's sign regulations (Chapter 14, Article 2, Division 12) and by the sign curfew in section 142.0740.

• No flashing or strobing. Section 142.1210(a)(5) does not permit signs with flashing copy or lights, stroboscopic lights, intermittent lights, rotary beacons, chasing lights or zip lights; (a)(6) does not permit messages that flash on and off or alternate. Animated portions of a sign are limited to 10 square feet, and the light source must be constant.
• Electronic message signs. Section 142.1210(a)(2) says changeable copy may not be remotely or electronically changeable, except public service messages (limited to time, date, temperature and weather, under section 142.1220(f)), signs with automatic changing copy approved with a Neighborhood Use Permit, and gas station price signs designed under state law.
• Sign hours. Illuminated on-premises signs for businesses open after 11:00 p.m. may stay lit during business hours only. Illuminated off-premises advertising signs (billboards) may not be lit after 11:00 p.m. Both kinds must have automatic timers. Downtown planned districts are exempt from the curfew.
• Residential zones. In single dwelling unit zones, address numbers may be lit, while nameplates may be indirectly illuminated only (section 142.1265).

Section 142.1206 makes it unlawful to erect a sign contrary to these rules and treats violations as strict liability offenses. For signs and flyers posted on poles and public property, see our signs and flyers guide.

In the City of San Diego, complaints about lighting and signs on private property go to Building & Land Use Enforcement through a Request for Investigation. There is no lighting category in Get It Done.

• Where. The address of the property with the light, and where the fixture is (for example, on the garage eave facing your side yard).
• When. The hours the light is on, especially whether it stays on after 11 p.m., and whether it is new or was recently replaced.
• Photos, from your own property. A photo of the fixture and of the light falling on your home or yard helps. The form asks you to attach pictures or sketches.

What to expect. On its Priority of Cases page, as of November 5, 2026, the City lists lighting and signs under Alternative Compliance. A case is opened right away and, after a brief review, staff send structured information to the alleged violator and the complainant. The City says these matters are typically best addressed by discussion between neighbors, with mediation if needed. The same page lists billboards among complaint types not currently enforced because of Fiscal Year 2026 and 2027 budget cuts; those requests are opened and immediately closed. For more on the process, see our code enforcement guide.

The outdoor lighting rules in section 142.0740 do not apply to lighting on facilities or land owned or controlled by the City or other public agencies, which the code says are encouraged to comply voluntarily. A street light problem is a maintenance report, not a code complaint.

• City street lights. The Street Division is responsible for street lights in the City. Report a light that is out, flickering, on during the day, damaged or misaimed with the Get It Done Street Light form or app. The City's street light guidance asks for an exact location, a photo and the issue, so describe what you see. As of November 5, 2026, the form shows an estimated resolution time of 500 days and says only emergencies and safety issues are being responded to. Urgent street light problems: Street Division, 619-527-7500.
• SDG&E street lights. Some street lights are maintained by SDG&E. Use its Streetlighting Outage Report, which asks for as much information about the street light as possible.
• Why some lights are yellow. The City says its standard street light is the white induction light, and that low-pressure sodium lights, which give a yellow light, are used in all areas within a 30-mile radius of Palomar Observatory to limit light pollution.

Our street lights guide explains repair times and how to tell whose light it is.

The rules and phone numbers above apply only in the City of San Diego. Other cities have their own codes and code enforcement offices.

• Unincorporated areas. The County of San Diego has a Light Pollution chapter in its Regulatory Code, which it says sets standards to minimize light pollution and to protect the Palomar and Mount Laguna observatories. The County's Code Compliance Division investigates complaints on private property in the unincorporated area.
• County street lights. The County maintains more than 6,500 street lights in the unincorporated area: call 858-694-3850 or use its service request form. It says some lights on County roads are SDG&E's and it will forward those reports.

Noise from the same neighbor or business? See our noise complaints guide. For other problems, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.