Flagstaff regulates outdoor lighting with a lumen budget per net acre by zone plus a source mandate: narrow-spectrum amber LED for general lighting, white light only for listed uses. 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: lumen budget per net acre
| Commercial / industrial / multifamily (Table 10-50.70.050.B) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lighting area | Total lm/acre | Unshielded lm/acre |
| Z1 | 17,500 | 0 |
| Z2 | 35,000 | 3,850 |
- Commercial / industrial / multifamily (Table 10-50.70.050.B): Combined maximum of fully + partially shielded fixtures per net acre. LED screw-in bulbs and all non-LED lamps count at 70% of rated lumens; recessed-under-canopy fixtures get distance-based discounts.
- Commercial / industrial / multifamily (Table 10-50.70.050.B) — Freestanding (not building/canopy-mounted) portion is capped at Z1 4,000 · Z2 35,000 lm/acre.
- n/a means the adopted table has no value for that area and option — the option is not available there, or it was not transcribed; the Lighting Design Tool refuses to compute a budget from it. 0 is a real zero allowance.
The limits behind the table
Which lighting area is the site in?
Zone 1 = within 2.5 miles of the Kaj Strand telescope at the U.S. Naval Observatory; Zone 2 = everywhere else in the city. Split parcels take the more restrictive zone. Budgets below are the COMMERCIAL/industrial/multifamily table (per net acre); single-family homes use small per-LOT budgets instead (Z1: 1,500 lm/lot · Z2: 5,000 lm/lot) — see the permit worksheet.
Shielding and light trespass
Direct illumination confined to the property; any fixture over 10,000 lumens within 50 ft of residential or right-of-way needs an internal or black-painted external shield. Upward-aimed architectural/landscape lighting prohibited; partially shielded fixtures ≥1,750 lumens prohibited.
Color temperature
Flagstaff's default for general/security/parking lighting (Class 2) is NARROW-SPECTRUM AMBER LED (peak 589–595 nm) — regular white LED is not allowed for those uses. White light ≤2700K (Class 1) is allowed only for specific uses: outdoor sales, primary customer entries, outdoor dining, work areas, recreation fields, and signs. Decorative Class 3 lighting may use any source under strict lumen limits. Internally illuminated signs are limited to 2700K.
Curfews and controls
- Class 1 and Class 3 lighting, and Class 2 lighting more than 50 ft from any structure/display/storage area, OFF within 30 minutes of close of business until reopening.
- Outdoor sports facilities: off by 9:00 PM in Zone 1 / 11:00 PM in Zone 2 (may finish an event in progress).
- Motion-sensing fixtures: fully shielded, auto-off within 5 minutes.
Canopies
Service-station canopies: ≤15 lm/ft² of canopy in Zone 1, ≤30 in Zone 2.
Signs
Internally illuminated sign lamps are excluded from the lumen budget; sign lighting is a Class 1 use (≤2700K). Internally illuminated signs are exempt from the lumen budget.
What the permit submittal must show
Flagstaff requires an Outdoor Lighting Permit ($130): lumen-calculation tables (existing + proposed), Total Outdoor Light Output worksheet, a lighting plan keyed to the fixture schedule, and cut sheets — Class 2 cut sheets must state the amber peak wavelength with a spectral graph.
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Flagstaff's default source for parking, security and general area lighting (Class 2) is narrow-spectrum amber LED with its peak between 589 and 595 nm — ordinary white LED is not permitted for those uses, and the cut sheets must state the amber peak wavelength with a spectral graph. White light up to 2700K (Class 1) is allowed only for listed uses: outdoor sales, primary customer entries, outdoor dining, work areas, recreation fields and signs. The budgets are small: 35,000 lumens per net acre in Zone 2 and 17,500 in Zone 1 (within 2.5 miles of the Naval Observatory's Kaj Strand telescope), and in Zone 1 only 4,000 of that may be freestanding. Screw-in LED and all non-LED lamps count at 70% of rated lumens; a partially shielded fixture of 1,750 lumens or more is prohibited; anything over 10,000 lumens within 50 ft of residential or a right-of-way needs an internal or black-painted shield; and Class 1 and Class 3 lighting goes off within 30 minutes of close. It all runs through a $130 Outdoor Lighting Permit.
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: Flagstaff Zoning Code Table 10-50.70.050.B (Ord. 2022-27 as amended by Ord. 2026-01). 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
What kind of light source does Flagstaff require for parking and area lighting?
Flagstaff's default for general/security/parking lighting (Class 2) is NARROW-SPECTRUM AMBER LED (peak 589–595 nm) — regular white LED is not allowed for those uses. White light ≤2700K (Class 1) is allowed only for specific uses: outdoor sales, primary customer entries, outdoor dining, work areas, recreation fields, and signs. Decorative Class 3 lighting may use any source under strict lumen limits. Internally illuminated signs are limited to 2700K.
How many lumens per acre does Flagstaff allow?
Under Flagstaff Zoning Code Table 10-50.70.050.B (Ord. 2022-27 as amended by Ord. 2026-01), the Commercial / industrial / multifamily (Table 10-50.70.050.B) allows Z1 17,500 · Z2 35,000 lumens per net acre of developed site by lighting area. Of that, unshielded fixtures may account for at most Z1 0 · Z2 3,850 lumens per acre.
When must outdoor lighting be off in Flagstaff?
Class 1 and Class 3 lighting, and Class 2 lighting more than 50 ft from any structure/display/storage area, OFF within 30 minutes of close of business until reopening. Outdoor sports facilities: off by 9:00 PM in Zone 1 / 11:00 PM in Zone 2 (may finish an event in progress). Motion-sensing fixtures: fully shielded, auto-off within 5 minutes.
What does a Flagstaff Outdoor Lighting Permit require?
Flagstaff requires an Outdoor Lighting Permit ($130): lumen-calculation tables (existing + proposed), Total Outdoor Light Output worksheet, a lighting plan keyed to the fixture schedule, and cut sheets — Class 2 cut sheets must state the amber peak wavelength with a spectral graph.