Mesa regulates outdoor lighting with a spillage limit in foot-candles at the property line, shielding by lamp class and pole heights tied to lamp wattage. 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 |
|---|---|---|
mesa-spill | Required | Light spillage at any property line, measured 36 in. above grade: max 0.5 fc above ambient — 0.3 fc where the line abuts residential use. Adjacent to a public street, the line may be taken at the street centerline (§4-4-1(G)). |
mesa-shield | Required | Shielding by lamp class (Table 4-4-1(F)): metal halide fully shielded + filtered; fluorescent partially shielded + filtered; HPS/quartz partially shielded; incandescent over 150 W partially shielded (≤150 W exempt). Internally illuminated translucent signs exempt. No lamp over 150 W (incandescent-equivalent) may be directly visible from the property line. |
mesa-height | Required | Pole heights: 15 ft within 50 ft of residential, 20 ft within 50 ft of other perimeter uses, 25 ft elsewhere, with house-side shields adjacent to residential (§11-30-5). Wattage-based caps (Table 4-4-1(H)): 150 W→15 ft · 250 W→20 ft · 400 W→25 ft · 1,000 W→40 ft (HID; other lamps by equivalent lumens). |
mesa-curfew | Required | Advertising searchlights banned 11:00 PM–sunrise; mercury vapor prohibited; nonconforming fixtures and billboard uplighting need automatic shutoff by 11:00 PM; recreational facilities dark by 11:00 PM except to finish an event (§4-4-1(H),(I),(M),(N)). |
mesa-flag | Note | Flagpoles: up to 3 upward fixtures at ≤75 W each, still subject to the spillage limits (§4-4-1(P)). |
How much the code actually pins down
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Mesa's number is at the property line, not per acre: light spillage may not exceed 0.5 fc above ambient at any line, or 0.3 fc where the line abuts a residential use, measured 36 in. above grade — and where the site fronts a public street the line may be taken at the street centerline (§4-4-1(G)), which is the relief most out-of-town photometric plans miss. No lamp over 150 W (incandescent-equivalent) may be directly visible from the property line. Pole heights are set two ways at once: by proximity (15 ft within 50 ft of residential, 20 ft within 50 ft of other perimeter uses, 25 ft elsewhere, house-side shields adjacent to residential) and by lamp wattage under Table 4-4-1(H) — 150 W to 15 ft, 250 W to 20 ft, 400 W to 25 ft, 1,000 W to 40 ft, with other lamps rated by equivalent lumens. Mercury vapor is prohibited, and nonconforming fixtures and billboard uplighting need automatic shutoff by 11:00 PM.
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: Mesa City Code §4-4-1; Zoning §11-30-5 (through Ord. 5996). 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 Mesa have a lumens-per-acre budget?
No. Mesa 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 spillage limit in foot-candles at the property line, shielding by lamp class and pole heights tied to lamp wattage. The first requirement in Mesa City Code §4-4-1; Zoning §11-30-5 (through Ord. 5996): Light spillage at any property line, measured 36 in. above grade: max 0.5 fc above ambient — 0.3 fc where the line abuts residential use. Adjacent to a public street, the line may be taken at the street centerline (§4-4-1(G)).
What is the light-spillage limit at the property line in Mesa?
Light spillage at any property line, measured 36 in. above grade: max 0.5 fc above ambient — 0.3 fc where the line abuts residential use. Adjacent to a public street, the line may be taken at the street centerline (§4-4-1(G)).
How tall can light poles be in Mesa?
Pole heights: 15 ft within 50 ft of residential, 20 ft within 50 ft of other perimeter uses, 25 ft elsewhere, with house-side shields adjacent to residential (§11-30-5). Wattage-based caps (Table 4-4-1(H)): 150 W→15 ft · 250 W→20 ft · 400 W→25 ft · 1,000 W→40 ft (HID; other lamps by equivalent lumens).
What must be off by 11 PM in Mesa?
Advertising searchlights banned 11:00 PM–sunrise; mercury vapor prohibited; nonconforming fixtures and billboard uplighting need automatic shutoff by 11:00 PM; recreational facilities dark by 11:00 PM except to finish an event (§4-4-1(H),(I),(M),(N)).