Oro Valley regulates outdoor lighting with a lumen budget per net lighting acre in which the lighting area is set by the parcel's zoning district rather than by a map. 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
| Option I — mostly low-pressure sodium (legacy) | Option II — all full cutoff (typical LED design) | Option III — mostly full cutoff, limited unshielded | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighting area | Total lm/acre | Unshielded lm/acre | Total lm/acre | Unshielded lm/acre | Total lm/acre | Unshielded lm/acre |
| E3 | 400,000 | 12,000 | 300,000 | 0 | 200,000 | 12,000 |
| E3a | 250,000 | 9,000 | 150,000 | 0 | 100,000 | 9,000 |
| E2 | 100,000 | 6,000 | 65,000 | 0 | 50,000 | 6,000 |
| E2a | 70,000 | 4,000 | 45,000 | 0 | 35,000 | 4,000 |
- Option I — mostly low-pressure sodium (legacy) — Non-LPS full-cutoff portion is capped at E3 45,000 · E3a 25,000 · E2 10,000 · E2a 7,000 lm/acre.
- Option I — mostly low-pressure sodium (legacy) is a low-pressure-sodium path; it is listed because the code lists it, not because an LED design can use it.
- Option II — all full cutoff (typical LED design): Every fixture full cutoff. No unshielded lumens.
- 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?
Oro Valley's lighting zone follows the property's ZONING district, not a map: C-2/C-1 → E3 · C-N, PS, R-4R, R-6, T-P, R-S, P-1 (plus religious institutions and schools) → E3a · POS, R-4, SDH-6 → E2 · R1-144 through R1-7 → E2a. E1 overlay areas (riparian/preserved open space) allow NO lighting. Budget applies per NET LIGHTING ACRE (exclude street rights-of-way and any E1 area).
Shielding and light trespass
Light trespass into E2, E2a, or E1 areas limited to 0.3 fc vertical at 5 ft (§27.5.G.1). Poles max 18 ft (28 ft in C-2); first pole row abutting E2a/E1 max 10 ft with house-side shields within 15 ft of the line.
Color temperature
Oro Valley's code has NO color-temperature cap for general outdoor lighting (verified absent). Signs are limited to 4400K. Internally illuminated signs are limited to 4400K.
Curfews and controls
- All unshielded fixtures (including seasonal decorations) OFF between 11:00 PM and sunrise (§27.5.G.7).
- Recreation-facility curfews (Table 27-6): E3 12:00 AM · E3a 11:00 PM · E2 11:00 PM · E2a 10:00 PM.
- Wall signs: on no earlier than 5:00 AM, off by 11:00 PM or close of business, whichever is later (§28.3.B.1.d). Electronic message boards ≤200 nits full-white, sunset to sunrise.
Signs
Internally illuminated signs per the sign code: ≤4400K, electronic boards ≤200 nits, compliance label required on the sign (§28.3.B.1). Internally illuminated signs are exempt from the lumen budget.
What the permit submittal must show
Oro Valley wants the lighting table on plans: zoning, acreage, lighting zone, Table 27-5 option, allowed vs. used lumens (fully shielded / unshielded), and a fixture schedule with IDs matching cut sheets. Commercial projects: point-by-point footcandle printout. Design must use ≥80% of allowed lumens or meet IESNA minimums, whichever is less (§27.5.G.2).
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Oro Valley does not use a lighting-zone map. The lighting area comes from the parcel's zoning district — C-2 and C-1 are E3; C-N, PS, R-4R, R-6, T-P, R-S and P-1 are E3a; POS, R-4 and SDH-6 are E2; R1-144 through R1-7 are E2a — and any E1 overlay (riparian or preserved open space) allows no lighting at all, so its acreage is excluded from the net lighting acre. Two rules cut the other way from Tucson: an unshielded fixture is capped at 2,000 lumens, lower than Tucson's per-fixture cap, and a design must use at least 80% of the allowed lumens or meet the IESNA minimums, whichever is less (§27.5.G.2) — a site lit too dimly fails too. Poles are 18 ft (28 ft in C-2), and the first row abutting E2a or E1 is 10 ft with house-side shields within 15 ft of the line. Trespass into E2, E2a or E1 is 0.3 fc vertical at 5 ft.
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: Oro Valley Zoning Code §27.5, Table 27-5 (through Ord. (O)26-05). 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
How is the lighting area decided in Oro Valley?
Oro Valley's lighting zone follows the property's ZONING district, not a map: C-2/C-1 → E3 · C-N, PS, R-4R, R-6, T-P, R-S, P-1 (plus religious institutions and schools) → E3a · POS, R-4, SDH-6 → E2 · R1-144 through R1-7 → E2a. E1 overlay areas (riparian/preserved open space) allow NO lighting. Budget applies per NET LIGHTING ACRE (exclude street rights-of-way and any E1 area).
How many lumens per acre does Oro Valley allow?
Under Oro Valley Zoning Code §27.5, Table 27-5 (through Ord. (O)26-05), the Option II — all full cutoff (typical LED design) allows E3 300,000 · E3a 150,000 · E2 65,000 · E2a 45,000 lumens per net acre of developed site by lighting area. No unshielded lumens are allowed on that option. The code offers 3 options that trade total budget against source type or a limited unshielded allowance; the table on this page shows every one.
Is there a curfew for outdoor lighting in Oro Valley?
All unshielded fixtures (including seasonal decorations) OFF between 11:00 PM and sunrise (§27.5.G.7). Recreation-facility curfews (Table 27-6): E3 12:00 AM · E3a 11:00 PM · E2 11:00 PM · E2a 10:00 PM. Wall signs: on no earlier than 5:00 AM, off by 11:00 PM or close of business, whichever is later (§28.3.B.1.d). Electronic message boards ≤200 nits full-white, sunset to sunrise.
What does Oro Valley want on the lighting plans?
Oro Valley wants the lighting table on plans: zoning, acreage, lighting zone, Table 27-5 option, allowed vs. used lumens (fully shielded / unshielded), and a fixture schedule with IDs matching cut sheets. Commercial projects: point-by-point footcandle printout. Design must use ≥80% of allowed lumens or meet IESNA minimums, whichever is less (§27.5.G.2).