# Dark Sky Law: California

California has no general statewide light pollution or dark-sky statute; outdoor lighting is regulated through Title 24 energy-efficiency building code provisions and, more specifically, through county and city ordinances. Protection of Palomar and Lick observatories comes from San Diego County and Santa Clara/San Benito County lighting ordinances rather than state law.

**Status:** no-statewide-law (checked 2026-09-23)
California has no general statewide light pollution or dark-sky statute; outdoor lighting is regulated through Title 24 energy-efficiency building code provisions and, more specifically, through county and city ordinances. Protection of Palomar and Lick observatories comes from San Diego County and Santa Clara/San Benito County lighting ordinances rather than state law.

## Municipal codes
- [San Diego County, CA](https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/docs/pds211.pdf): A light pollution code (County Code, private outdoor lighting regulations) limits shielding, lumens, and curfews near Palomar Observatory.
- [Malibu, CA](https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/states/california): Local dark-sky protection lighting standards restrict fixture type and glare citywide.

## Sources
- https://idadb.cals.arizona.edu/states/california
- https://astro.caltech.edu/palomar/community/lightpollution.html
- https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/docs/pds211.pdf

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Canonical: https://darkskiesdirectory.com/laws/CA