Sedona regulates outdoor lighting with one citywide lumen budget per net acre with full shielding of every fixture and a color-temperature cap that also applies to signs. 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
| Citywide standard (non-single-family) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lighting area | Total lm/acre | Unshielded lm/acre |
| ALL | 100,000 | 0 |
- Citywide standard (non-single-family): Total outdoor light output per net acre of the property, all fixtures fully shielded.
- 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?
One citywide standard — no lighting-zone map needed.
Color temperature
≤3000K required, 2700K preferred; "cool white" / "daylight" sources (4000–6500K) prohibited. Internally illuminated signs are limited to 3000K.
Curfews and controls
- Motion-sensor lighting must time out automatically.
- All existing properties must be retrofitted to comply by January 1, 2028.
Signs
Sign lighting follows the same shielding and CCT rules. Internally illuminated signs are not exempt.
What the permit submittal must show
Photometric plan and fixture schedule per Sedona LDC §5.8 submittal requirements.
The trap that catches out-of-town designers
Sedona is an International Dark Sky Community with one citywide standard and no zone map: 100,000 lumens per net acre for non-single-family property, every fixture fully shielded, and no unshielded allowance at all — the per-fixture unshielded cap is zero, so the decorative up-light or bare-lamp sconce that squeaks through elsewhere has nowhere to go here. Sources must be 3000K or lower with 2700K preferred; 'cool white' and 'daylight' lamps (4000–6500K) are prohibited, and sign lighting follows the same shielding and CCT rules — internally illuminated cabinet signs are not exempt as they are in Tucson. Motion-sensor lighting must time out automatically. The rule that catches property owners rather than designers: every existing property must be retrofitted to comply by January 1, 2028.
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: Sedona LDC §5.8. 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 many lumens per acre does Sedona allow?
Under Sedona LDC §5.8, the Citywide standard (non-single-family) allows ALL 100,000 lumens per net acre of developed site (one citywide figure). No unshielded lumens are allowed on that option.
What color temperature is allowed in Sedona?
≤3000K required, 2700K preferred; "cool white" / "daylight" sources (4000–6500K) prohibited. Internally illuminated signs are limited to 3000K.
Do existing properties in Sedona have to comply?
Motion-sensor lighting must time out automatically. All existing properties must be retrofitted to comply by January 1, 2028.
Are signs exempt from Sedona's lighting rules?
Sign lighting follows the same shielding and CCT rules. Internally illuminated signs are not exempt.