Tucson / Pima County outdoor lighting code — what a site-lighting design must meet

Tucson / Pima County regulates outdoor lighting with a lumen budget per net acre that depends on the lighting area (E3 urban to E1a near the observatories) and on which of three fixture-mix options the design follows. 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 1 — mostly low-pressure sodium (legacy): Highest budget, but most of it must be low-pressure sodium (LPS). Rarely used for LED designs.
• Option 1 — mostly low-pressure sodium (legacy) — Non-LPS full-cutoff portion is capped at E3 35,000 · E3a 25,000 · E2 18,000 · E1c 6,000 · E1b 3,000 · E1a 3,000 lm/acre.
• Option 1 — 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 2 — all fixtures full cutoff (typical LED design): Every fixture fully shielded (zero light at or above horizontal). No unshielded lumens allowed.
• Option 3 — full cutoff plus limited unshielded: Lower total budget in exchange for a small unshielded (decorative) allowance.
• All-residential zoning (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. Total may increase 50% when ≥75% of lumens are low-pressure sodium.
• 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 within 25 ft of a residential lot line must be full cutoff. Flood/spot lamps visible from adjacent residential must be aimed no higher than 45° to the horizontal — i.e., within 45° of straight down (§401.3.4). House-side shields where required.

Color temperature

Lamps over 3500K are prohibited outdoors (§402.1); exceptions only for permitted recreational/special-use lighting and one-for-one legacy relamping. 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.

Canopies

Canopy illumination caps (lumens per ft² of canopy): E1a ≤30, E1b ≤55.

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 2012 (Ord. 2012-14), 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: 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.

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