Scottsdale regulates outdoor lighting with per-luminaire standards graded by initial lumens, a lumen-based night curfew and property-line trespass limits, all under Development Review Board approval. 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 |
|---|---|---|
sc-tiers | Required | Per-luminaire standards by TOTAL INITIAL LUMENS (Table 7.602.A.2): ≤1,600 lm — shielding/downward optional (required in single-family districts); 1,600–3,050 lm — shield required, directed downward when mounted 8 ft or higher; over 3,050 lm — shield + directed downward + FULL CUTOFF required. |
sc-curfew | Required | Any fixture with output ≥2,600 initial lumens must be OFF between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM (security lighting: ≤15-minute activations). |
sc-trespass | Required | Light trespass at the property line, measured 6 ft above grade: max 0.3 fc where non-residential/multifamily abuts single-family; max 0.1 fc between single-family properties. |
sc-parking | Required | Parking-area lighting: no more than 1 fc on adjacent properties at the lot line (§9.106). |
sc-rec | Required | Recreation lighting: 20-ft height limit (fields per DRB), lens + shield + full cutoff; residential sport courts: fixtures set back 20 ft from side/rear lines, shielded, OFF 10:00 PM–sunrise (§7.200.G). |
sc-drb | Note | All outdoor lighting except single-family homes needs Development Review Board approval. DRB policy design targets by ambient zone (maintained avg/max fc): E-1 1/4 · E-2 1.5/6 · E-3 2/8 · E-4 2.5/10, with photometric grid ≤10 ft and vertical trespass readings along the property line. |
sc-esl | Note | ESL (Environmentally Sensitive Lands): lighting must be low-scale, directed downward, source not visible from residential or public viewpoints (§6.1070.G.1.f). Note: the per-fixture wattage caps quoted around the web were REVOKED in 2014 — the lumens tiers above are current law. |
sc-cct | Note | No color-temperature cap in Scottsdale's code — but fixture schedules submitted to the DRB must list lamp Kelvin, and searchlights are seasonal-hours restricted. |
How much the code actually pins down
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Scottsdale grades every luminaire by its total initial lumens (Table 7.602.A.2): up to 1,600 lumens shielding is optional except in single-family districts; from 1,600 to 3,050 a shield is required and the fixture is directed downward when mounted 8 ft or higher; over 3,050 the fixture must be shielded, directed downward and full cutoff. The trap is the curfew that rides on the same scale: any fixture of 2,600 initial lumens or more must be off between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM, security lighting excepted only for activations of 15 minutes or less — which makes a standard parking-lot area light a curfew fixture. Trespass is measured 6 ft above grade at the line: 0.3 fc where non-residential or multifamily abuts single-family, 0.1 fc between single-family properties, and parking-area lighting may not put more than 1 fc on adjacent property (§9.106). Everything but a single-family home goes to the Development Review Board, and the per-fixture wattage caps still quoted around the web were revoked in 2014.
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: Scottsdale Zoning Ordinance §7.602 Tables A.1–A.2 (through Ord. 4681). 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 Scottsdale have a lumens-per-acre budget?
No. Scottsdale 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 per-luminaire standards graded by initial lumens, a lumen-based night curfew and property-line trespass limits, all under Development Review Board approval. The first requirement in Scottsdale Zoning Ordinance §7.602 Tables A.1–A.2 (through Ord. 4681): Per-luminaire standards by TOTAL INITIAL LUMENS (Table 7.602.A.2): ≤1,600 lm — shielding/downward optional (required in single-family districts); 1,600–3,050 lm — shield required, directed downward when mounted 8 ft or higher; over 3,050 lm — shield + directed downward + FULL CUTOFF required.
Which fixtures must be off at night in Scottsdale?
Any fixture with output ≥2,600 initial lumens must be OFF between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM (security lighting: ≤15-minute activations).
What is the light-trespass limit at the property line in Scottsdale?
Light trespass at the property line, measured 6 ft above grade: max 0.3 fc where non-residential/multifamily abuts single-family; max 0.1 fc between single-family properties.
Does Scottsdale limit color temperature?
No color-temperature cap in Scottsdale's code — but fixture schedules submitted to the DRB must list lamp Kelvin, and searchlights are seasonal-hours restricted.