Tucson / Pima County 2025 outdoor lighting code draft — what a site-lighting design would have to meet

Tucson / Pima County regulates outdoor lighting with a lumen budget per net acre by lighting area, now with six fixture-mix options that reward amber and low-CCT sources. 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 1A — amber sources, all fully shielded: PC Amber (<2000K) / narrow-band amber (<1700K) preferred path; sub-cap on non-amber lumens.
• Option 1A — amber sources, all fully shielded — Non-amber portion is capped at E3 23,800 · E3a 13,600 · E2 10,600 · E1c 6,000 · E1b 3,000 · E1a 3,000 lm/acre.
• Option 1B — mostly amber LED: Amber-majority mix (PC Amber in E3/E3a/E2, narrow-band amber in E1c/E1b). Not available in E1a.
• Option 1B — mostly amber LED — Non-amber portion is capped at E3 23,800 · E3a 13,600 · E2 10,600 · E1c 6,000 · E1b 3,000 · E1a n/a lm/acre.
• Option 2A — mostly ≤2200K, all fully shielded: Not available in E1c/E1b/E1a (table shows N/A).
• Option 2A — mostly ≤2200K, all fully shielded — Portion above 2200K is capped at E3 50,000 · E3a 30,000 · E2 12,400 · E1c n/a · E1b n/a · E1a n/a lm/acre.
• Option 2B — mostly ≤2200K, limited unshielded: Not available in E1c/E1b/E1a (table shows N/A).
• Option 2B — mostly ≤2200K, limited unshielded — Portion above 2200K is capped at E3 35,000 · E3a 20,000 · E2 9,400 · E1c n/a · E1b n/a · E1a n/a lm/acre.
• Option 3A — any allowed CCT (≤3000K), all fully shielded: The standard LED path when amber isn't used.
• Option 3B — any allowed CCT, mostly fully shielded: Not available in E1a.
• All-residential zoning (draft Table 401.2): total E3 55,000 · E3a 39,000 · E2 24,000 · E1c 15,000 · E1b 12,000 · E1a 12,000; unshielded E3 11,000 · E3a 9,000 · E2 2,700 · E1c 2,700 · E1b 2,700 · E1a 0 lm/acre. Amber option: when ≥75% of installed lumens are amber sources, the total may increase 50% for fully shielded components only (draft Table 401.2 Option 2).
• 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?

E3 urban Tucson · E3a Mt. Lemmon-adjacent special area · E2 default county · E1c within 35 mi of Kitt Peak · E1b within 25 mi of Mt. Hopkins · E1a within 15 mi of Kitt Peak / 12.5 mi of Mt. Hopkins or federal parks/forests. Parcel in two areas → most restrictive governs (§301.2).

Shielding and light trespass

Fixtures with an IES BUG rating of U0 count as fully shielded (draft §104.2.4, ANSI-IES TM-15-20). Flood/spot lamps visible from abutting residential must be aimed straight down or ≤30° from vertical (draft §401.4.4).

Color temperature

Draft §402.1 caps outdoor sources at 3000K; amber (PC Amber <2000K, narrow-band amber <1700K) is the preferred source. Internally illuminated signs are limited to 4400K.

Curfews and controls

• All unshielded lighting OFF from 11:00 PM until sunrise (§403.1); US-flag lighting excepted.
• Curfew switching must use a dedicated 24-hour timer with ≥6-hour battery carryover and a permanent notice sign at the timer (§403.5).
• Sign curfews (Table 501.5): commercial/industrial signs off at 12:00 AM in E3/E3a, 11:00 PM in E2/E1b/E1c; illuminated signs prohibited in E1a. Signs go dark at curfew or close of business, whichever is later.
• Draft §404: building- and pole-mounted fixtures lighting parking lots, driveways, and pedestrian areas must have motion sensing that automatically dims to ≤50% of full output within 15 minutes of no activity (per fixture or per pole). Exceptions: mounting ≤12 ft, canopies, garages, legal nonconforming.

Signs

Internally illuminated cabinet signs are exempt from the lumen budget but limited to 4400K and prohibited in E1a. External sign lighting counts toward the budget and must meet shielding rules; bottom-mounted sign lighting is prohibited (§105). LED/electronic message signs: ≤200 nits full-white from sunset to sunrise. Internally illuminated signs are exempt from the lumen budget.

What the permit submittal must show

Plans must show the §104.2.1 lumen calculation: each luminaire type with lumens and quantity, shielded/unshielded flag, totals for the developed area, lighting area, developed-area acreage, and the maximum allowed. A registered design professional's certification waives most photometric submittals (§104.2.3). Special inspection is required when the design exceeds 100,000 lumens per net acre or 75% of the applicable cap, and for all recreational/special-use lighting (§106.2).

The trap that catches out-of-town designers

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: Tucson/Pima County OLC 2025 draft (rev. 09/12/2025), Tables 401.1–401.2. Transcribed and verified: August 8, 2026, from the code text itself, never a summary site. Page updated: 5 September 2026. Status: draft — not adopted, see the warning above.

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.

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