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Palos Verdes Estates · Building on your lot

Outdoor lighting in Palos Verdes Estates

Palos Verdes Estates's own rules on outdoor lighting, with the code text for every value.

Each rule below links to the section of the Palos Verdes Estates Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Palos Verdes Estates's code says

Palos Verdes Estates code What Palos Verdes Estates's code adds
When lights must be off
  • Outdoor lights may not be used after seven-thirty p.m. or before 7 a.m.
    Applies: Outdoor lights in R-1 or R-M zones that shine directly onto other properties.
    § 18.28.040 · code text
    No outdoor lighting in the R-1 or R-M zones shall be used after seven-thirty p.m. of any day or before seven a.m. of any day where such light source results in direct illumination of a parcel of property or properties other than those upon which such light fixture or source is physically located, except that individual nonreflector light bulbs not exceeding two thousand two hundred fifty lumens shall be permitted.
  • Outdoor lights may not be used after 9 p.m. or before 7 a.m.
    Applies: R-1 or R-M zones; single bulbs up to 2,250 lumens, up to 15,000 lumens total per lot, are allowed.
    § 18.28.050 · code text
    No outdoor lighting in the R-1 or R-M zones shall be used after nine p.m. of any day or before seven a.m. of any day, except that individual light bulbs not exceeding two thousand two hundred fifty lumens or an aggregate of fifteen thousand lumens for each lot shall be permitted.
Brightness or color limit
  • Single nonreflector bulbs up to 2,250 lumens are allowed.
    Applies: R-1 or R-M zones; nonreflector bulbs up to this size are allowed, but all outdoor lights on a lot may total at most 15,000 lumens.
    § 18.28.030 · code text
    Individual nonreflector light bulbs not exceeding illumination equivalent to two thousand two hundred fifty lumens shall be permitted without restriction, except that the aggregate of all outdoor lights shall not exceed fifteen thousand lumens for any lot.
  • All outdoor lights together may total at most 15,000 lumens.
    Applies: Each lot in the R-1 or R-M zones.
    § 18.28.030 · code text
    Individual nonreflector light bulbs not exceeding illumination equivalent to two thousand two hundred fifty lumens shall be permitted without restriction, except that the aggregate of all outdoor lights shall not exceed fifteen thousand lumens for any lot.
Light at the property line
  • Direct light may not shine past the property line.
    Applies: R-1 or R-M zones.
    § 18.28.030 · code text
    No light shall, after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, be installed in any R-1 or R-M zone where the direct rays from the light extend beyond the property line of the property upon which such light is installed.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What are the outdoor lighting rules for homes in Palos Verdes Estates?

Palos Verdes Estates's code: Direct light may not shine past the property line. (R-1 or R-M zones.) (§ 18.28.030); Outdoor lights may not be used after seven-thirty p.m. or before 7 a.m. (Outdoor lights in R-1 or R-M zones that shine directly onto other properties.) (§ 18.28.040).

General information, not legal advice.

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