Chandler regulates outdoor lighting with a photometric study proving that no light leaves the property, with design review in place of numeric height or curfew standards. The at-a-glance table is the code’s own table, reproduced; everything after it is the rule text that changes a design.
At a glance: every transcribed requirement
| Rule | Status | What the code says |
|---|---|---|
ch-zero | Required | ZERO foot-candles at the property line: all external lighting must be located and designed so no lighting rays leave the property, demonstrated with a photometric study (§35-1902(4)(k)). Applies to all development except individual single-family through fourplex. |
ch-bigbox | Required | Large single-use retail: photometric plan showing 1.5–2.0 fc on site, approved by the Zoning Administrator and Police, with cut sheets showing shielded, down-light-only fixtures (§35-1904(4)(b)10). |
ch-signs | Required | Signs abutting residential must be non-illuminated or halo/low-intensity lit; no exposed bulbs over 40 W, neon over 30 mA, or flashing/rotating sources (Ch. 39). |
ch-review | Note | Chandler is design-review driven — no numeric fixture-height or curfew standards in the code; the photometric study and site plan carry the approval. |
How much the code actually pins down
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Chandler has the strictest spill rule in the state, and it is not a number you can design around: zero foot-candles at the property line. All external lighting must be located and designed so no lighting rays leave the property, and the site plan has to prove it with a photometric study (§35-1902(4)(k)). It applies to all development except individual single-family through fourplex. Large single-use retail carries a second test — a photometric plan showing 1.5 to 2.0 fc on site, approved by both the Zoning Administrator and the Police, with cut sheets showing shielded, down-light-only fixtures (§35-1904(4)(b)10). There is no numeric pole-height or curfew standard to fall back on: Chandler is design-review driven, and the photometric study and site plan carry the approval — so the photometric grid must extend to the property line and read zero there.
Underneath every city code: the state statute
- Arizona statute: every outdoor light fixture must be fully or partially shielded unless it is an incandescent lamp of 150 W or less, or any other lamp of 70 W or less (ARS §49-1102).
- Mercury-vapor fixtures may not be sold or installed anywhere in Arizona (ARS §49-1104).
The statute is the floor; the city or town ordinance above is what the permit is reviewed against. Where the two differ, the stricter applies.
Source, date and limits
Source: Chandler Code §35-1902(4)(k), §35-1904 (Art. XIX, through Ord. 5160). Transcribed and verified: August 8, 2026, from the code text itself, never a summary site. Page updated: 5 September 2026. Status: current as of the verification date.
These pages render the same data file that drives our Lighting Design Tool, so a value here is the value the tool checks a design against. They are a reference, not a code book and not legal advice: the adopted ordinance, its amendments and the reviewer’s interpretation govern. Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before you submit. IES illuminance targets and IECC power allowances are licensed-standard material and are not reproduced here.
Questions people ask
Does Chandler have a lumens-per-acre budget?
No. Chandler does not set a lumens-per-acre budget the way the dark-sky codes of southern and northern Arizona do; it regulates outdoor lighting through a photometric study proving that no light leaves the property, with design review in place of numeric height or curfew standards. The first requirement in Chandler Code §35-1902(4)(k), §35-1904 (Art. XIX, through Ord. 5160): ZERO foot-candles at the property line: all external lighting must be located and designed so no lighting rays leave the property, demonstrated with a photometric study (§35-1902(4)(k)). Applies to all development except individual single-family through fourplex.
What does 'zero foot-candles at the property line' mean in Chandler?
ZERO foot-candles at the property line: all external lighting must be located and designed so no lighting rays leave the property, demonstrated with a photometric study (§35-1902(4)(k)). Applies to all development except individual single-family through fourplex.
What do large retail sites have to submit in Chandler?
Large single-use retail: photometric plan showing 1.5–2.0 fc on site, approved by the Zoning Administrator and Police, with cut sheets showing shielded, down-light-only fixtures (§35-1904(4)(b)10).
Does Chandler set pole heights or a lighting curfew?
Chandler is design-review driven — no numeric fixture-height or curfew standards in the code; the photometric study and site plan carry the approval.