Phoenix regulates outdoor lighting with shielding by lamp type, pole-height limits near residential districts and design-review presumptions at the property line. 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 |
|---|---|---|
phx-shield | Required | Shielding by lamp type (§23-100.C): high-pressure sodium, quartz, and incandescent over 150 W must be FULLY SHIELDED; metal halide and fluorescent must be fully shielded AND filtered (glass/acrylic lens); low-pressure sodium is exempt. Exception: fixtures with an automatic shutoff that are not used from 11:00 PM to sunrise. |
phx-hg | Required | Mercury-vapor outdoor fixtures installed after Jan 1, 1985 are prohibited; pre-1985 installations are grandfathered (§23-100.E). |
phx-704 | Required | Outdoor lighting in every district must be arranged and shielded so it does not shine or reflect onto adjacent residential property (Zoning §704.A). |
phx-507 | Required | Design review: parking/security pole lights max 15 ft (including base) within 150 ft of a residential district — a hard requirement; max 25 ft elsewhere and on-site levels limited to 1 fc at the property line as review presumptions (§507 Tab A, items 8.2–8.4). |
phx-signs | Required | Signs (§705.C.6): indirect illumination shielded from residential and thoroughfares; directly illuminated faces over 150 W total OFF 11:00 PM–sunrise; electronic message displays ≤300 nits dusk–dawn with photocell dimming, off 11 PM–sunrise within 150 ft of visible single-family residential; no flashing/rotating sources, no mercury vapor. |
phx-rec | Note | Recreation facilities may light until conclusion of an event begun before 10:00 PM (§23-100.D). |
phx-iecc | Note | Energy code: Phoenix enforces the 2024 IECC (as amended) and 2023 NEC, effective Aug 1, 2025 — interior LPD allowances in this tool are generic defaults; confirm against the 2024 tables. |
How much the code actually pins down
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Phoenix has no lumen budget; it regulates by lamp type and by what the neighbours see. Under §23-100.C, high-pressure sodium, quartz and incandescent over 150 W must be fully shielded, and metal halide and fluorescent must be fully shielded and filtered — with an exception for fixtures on an automatic shutoff that are not used from 11:00 PM to sunrise. The rule that reshapes a parking-lot layout is the pole height: within 150 ft of a residential district, parking and security poles are limited to 15 ft including the base, as a hard requirement of design review (§507 Tab A); 25 ft elsewhere and 1 fc at the property line are review presumptions. Signs over 150 W of direct illumination go dark 11:00 PM to sunrise, and electronic message displays are held to 300 nits dusk to dawn with photocell dimming. Phoenix enforces the 2024 IECC and the 2023 NEC as of Aug 1, 2025.
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: Phoenix City Code §23-100; Zoning Ordinance §§704.A, 705.C.6, 507 Tab A. 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 Phoenix have a lumens-per-acre budget for site lighting?
No. Phoenix 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 shielding by lamp type, pole-height limits near residential districts and design-review presumptions at the property line. The first requirement in Phoenix City Code §23-100; Zoning Ordinance §§704.A, 705.C.6, 507 Tab A: Shielding by lamp type (§23-100.C): high-pressure sodium, quartz, and incandescent over 150 W must be FULLY SHIELDED; metal halide and fluorescent must be fully shielded AND filtered (glass/acrylic lens); low-pressure sodium is exempt. Exception: fixtures with an automatic shutoff that are not used from 11:00 PM to sunrise.
How tall can parking-lot light poles be in Phoenix?
Design review: parking/security pole lights max 15 ft (including base) within 150 ft of a residential district — a hard requirement; max 25 ft elsewhere and on-site levels limited to 1 fc at the property line as review presumptions (§507 Tab A, items 8.2–8.4).
Which lamps must be fully shielded in Phoenix?
Shielding by lamp type (§23-100.C): high-pressure sodium, quartz, and incandescent over 150 W must be FULLY SHIELDED; metal halide and fluorescent must be fully shielded AND filtered (glass/acrylic lens); low-pressure sodium is exempt. Exception: fixtures with an automatic shutoff that are not used from 11:00 PM to sunrise.
What are Phoenix's rules for illuminated signs?
Signs (§705.C.6): indirect illumination shielded from residential and thoroughfares; directly illuminated faces over 150 W total OFF 11:00 PM–sunrise; electronic message displays ≤300 nits dusk–dawn with photocell dimming, off 11 PM–sunrise within 150 ft of visible single-family residential; no flashing/rotating sources, no mercury vapor.