Commercial and industrial businesses in all of San Bernardino County are now beyond the grace period for complying with the Light Trespass Ordinance that was passed in early 2021. The ordinance was put in place to limit invasive outdoor lighting that can be a nuisance to neighbors and can limit what stars we see at night.
The June 7th deadline has passed for businesses in commercial and industrial land use districts to comply with the Light Trespass Ordinance, which disallows bright, unshielded lights that shines onto other properties or into the open sky. The Light Trespass Ordinance (or LTO) also takes color temperature of the light into consideration – as “bright white” or “cooler” light gives an unnatural glow at night and can contribute to the light pollution that has been creeping into the Morongo Basin.
Homes in the Morongo Basin still have until January 7th of 2024 to become compliant. Making sure your outdoor lights don’t shine onto or into a neighbor’s property is just being considerate, and shielding lights from needlessly pointing into the night sky keeps our desert skies dark.
So what can you do if you live near a business or residence that has invasive lighting? If it’s a home, and they haven’t installed the light in 2023, then they still have until that January 7th deadline to comply. If you feel safe doing so, talking to your neighbors about invasive lights may be all you need to do.
If it’s a business and you believe that the lights they are using fall outside the Ordinance, you can contact the San Bernardino County Land Use Services and get details on the LTO using the links below.
Links:
Outdoor Lighting Regulations (PDF Download)
