Gilbert regulates outdoor lighting with a property-line illuminance limit that tightens after close of business, full shielding by lamp type and pole heights near residential land. 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 |
|---|---|---|
gi-spill | Required | Illuminance at the property line: max 0.3 fc — dropping to 0.1 fc one hour after close of business (public-safety lighting excepted). Measured 5 ft above grade with the meter aimed at the fixture (§42-34(g)(1)). |
gi-shield | Required | Full shielding required for sodium, metal halide, fluorescent, halogen, and incandescent flood/architectural/site lighting; filters on all metal-halide and fluorescent uplight fixtures (§42-34(f)). |
gi-height | Required | Parking/security pole lights: max 14 ft (to the lens) within 100 ft of a residential district or planned residential land; 25 ft elsewhere. Wall-mounted fixtures max 14 ft and full cutoff (LDC §5.2.8.B). Unshielded fixtures set back ≥10 ft or the fixture height from property lines. |
gi-curfew | Required | Upward-directed lighting must be fully shielded and OFF after 11:00 PM; searchlights need a special-event permit and are banned 11:00 PM–sunrise; recreational facilities dark by 10:00 PM except to finish an event; flood/spot beams aimed more than 45° below horizontal (§42-34(g),(h)). |
gi-signs | Note | Electronic message centers and illuminated address signs: ≤0.3 fc above ambient at the property line, with automatic day/night dimming (LDC Ch. 1 §5.6). |
How much the code actually pins down
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Gilbert's property-line limit moves during the night: 0.3 fc at the line, dropping to 0.1 fc one hour after close of business (public-safety lighting excepted), measured 5 ft above grade with the meter aimed at the fixture (§42-34(g)(1)) — a plan that passes at 0.3 fc with everything on still needs a control scheme that gets it to 0.1 fc after closing. Pole heights are the other surprise: parking and security poles are held to 14 ft, to the lens, within 100 ft of a residential district or planned residential land, and 25 ft elsewhere; wall-mounted fixtures are 14 ft and full cutoff (LDC §5.2.8.B); unshielded fixtures are set back at least 10 ft or their own height from the line. Upward-directed lighting must be fully shielded and off after 11:00 PM, recreational facilities are dark by 10:00 PM except to finish an event, and flood and spot beams aim more than 45° below horizontal.
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: Gilbert Code §42-34; Land Development Code §5.2.8 (through Ord. 2978). 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 Gilbert have a lumens-per-acre budget?
No. Gilbert 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 property-line illuminance limit that tightens after close of business, full shielding by lamp type and pole heights near residential land. The first requirement in Gilbert Code §42-34; Land Development Code §5.2.8 (through Ord. 2978): Illuminance at the property line: max 0.3 fc — dropping to 0.1 fc one hour after close of business (public-safety lighting excepted). Measured 5 ft above grade with the meter aimed at the fixture (§42-34(g)(1)).
What is the property-line illuminance limit in Gilbert?
Illuminance at the property line: max 0.3 fc — dropping to 0.1 fc one hour after close of business (public-safety lighting excepted). Measured 5 ft above grade with the meter aimed at the fixture (§42-34(g)(1)).
How tall can parking-lot poles be in Gilbert?
Parking/security pole lights: max 14 ft (to the lens) within 100 ft of a residential district or planned residential land; 25 ft elsewhere. Wall-mounted fixtures max 14 ft and full cutoff (LDC §5.2.8.B). Unshielded fixtures set back ≥10 ft or the fixture height from property lines.
What has to be off after 11 PM in Gilbert?
Upward-directed lighting must be fully shielded and OFF after 11:00 PM; searchlights need a special-event permit and are banned 11:00 PM–sunrise; recreational facilities dark by 10:00 PM except to finish an event; flood/spot beams aimed more than 45° below horizontal (§42-34(g),(h)).