Parking lot lighting for California businesses

Which code edition applies

The California Energy Commission says the 2025 Energy Code applies to permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2026. Parking lot lighting is covered by Title 24, Part 6 of that code. The control rules below come from the Commission’s 2025 compliance manual for outdoor lighting. Its sections on power allowances and alterations point back to the 2022 manual, so a few details sit in the earlier edition. The controls described here also appear in the Commission’s 2022 outdoor lighting slides. Your city applies the edition in force on the day the permit application is filed.

The controls a lot must have

Four control types matter for a parking lot.

Daylight shut-off. Every installed outdoor light must be controlled by a photocontrol, an astronomical time switch or another control that turns the light off when daylight is available. An astronomical time switch is set once with the date, time zone and site location, and it works out sunrise and sunset on its own.

Schedule control. Every outdoor light must also have an automatic schedule control that can cut lighting power by 50 to 90 percent and, separately, turn the lights off. It must hold at least two nighttime periods, one occupied and one unoccupied, so a business can run brighter lights at closing time and dim ones overnight. This applies to buildings used around the clock as well, and the owner or operator chooses the periods.

Motion sensing. Luminaires over 40 watts whose bottom sits 24 feet or less above the ground need motion sensing in general hardscape and parking lot lighting. The same rule covers gas station hardscape and canopies and outdoor sales lots and canopies. The sensor must be able to cut each fixture by 50 to 90 percent, reach the dim or off state within 15 minutes of vacancy, and bring the light back on when someone arrives. One sensor or one zone may control no more than 1,500 watts.

Exceptions. Fixtures mounted more than 24 feet above grade, fixtures rated 40 watts or less, façade, ornamental hardscape and outdoor dining lighting are excepted. So is lighting that a health or life safety rule requires to stay on, which can have a longer time-out or a minimum dimming level above 50 percent. A lot with tall poles may therefore need motion sensing only on its short fixtures, wall packs and bollards.

Shielding and lighting zones

Any outdoor fixture that emits 6,200 initial lumens or more must meet the backlight, uplight and glare (BUG) limits in Section 5.106.8 of CALGreen, Title 24, Part 11. Those limits vary by lighting zone. Fixture makers usually print the BUG rating on the cut sheet, so a designer can check it before the fixture is bought.

The Energy Code names five outdoor lighting zones, LZ0 to LZ4. LZ0 is for undeveloped parts of parks and wildlife preserves. LZ1 gets the least lighting power and each higher zone gets more. LZ4 is meant for high-intensity night use such as entertainment or commercial districts, and it applies only where a city or county designates it. Local governments can also move areas to a lower or higher zone, so the planner at the city counter is the one who knows the zone for a parcel. The Energy Commission’s guidance is to check with the local jurisdiction for parks, preserves and LZ4 areas.

Local lighting rules on top of the state code

Some cities and counties add their own lighting rules. The City of Irvine’s Objective Design Standards Manual, dated November 2024, says parking areas must be lit for safety and security, fixtures must be fully shielded and aimed down, and light must not spill off the site. The manual points to Irvine Zoning Ordinance Chapter 3-16 and Municipal Code Chapter 5, the Uniform Security Code, for the lighting rules. Read those chapters and not just the manual before you pick fixtures.

San Diego County runs a light pollution chapter for unincorporated areas. County staff describe its purpose as minimizing light pollution so residents can enjoy the night environment and protecting the Palomar and Mount Laguna observatories. A lot outside city limits in San Diego County should be checked against that chapter, because its limits can be stricter than the state minimum. Ask the planning counter before ordering fixtures, since a fixture that passes Title 24 can still fail a local color or shielding rule.

Changing lights on an existing lot

An existing lot is treated by what changes. The LED lighting retrofit page explains how raising the connected load, replacing 10 percent or more of the fixtures, or replacing half or more pulls in the outdoor rules, and how fewer than five replaced fixtures are handled. Poles in older lots are often the real cost driver, since new heads may need new arms, new brackets or a re-aimed layout. If chargers are planned for the same lot, put the lighting and commercial EV charging circuits on one plan so trenching is done once.

Permits, forms and tests

An electrical permit is filed with the building department of the city or county. Many jurisdictions also ask for the lighting forms with the plans. Fees differ a lot from one city to the next, and the permit fee comparison lists the posted base lines for 91 cities.

At the end of the job, the person who installed the controls signs an installation certificate, and a copy must be posted at the site for the local inspector. Motion sensing controls and schedule controls each need an acceptance test. The motion test confirms the sensor sees activity in its zone, turns the light on, and dims or shuts it off within 15 minutes of vacancy. The schedule test confirms that the programmed schedule runs as set. Keep the test paperwork with the building records.

Rebates and utility programs

Programs change often and many close when funds run out, so confirm each one before you buy. The City of Irvine’s business rebate page lists SCE Express Solutions and SCE Customized Solutions, and it does not list lighting as its own line, so ask SCE which one covers a lot upgrade. Anaheim Public Utilities describes free LED wall and pole parking lot fixtures for qualifying commercial accounts on its dusk-to-dawn lighting page, and a lighting rebate for owners who buy their own fixtures. Check the current terms with APU before relying on either. LADWP and Riverside Public Utilities programs are on the LED lighting page, which dates each one.

What to send for a quote

Send a site plan or satellite photo, the number and height of existing poles, the fixture type and wattage on the pole tag, the panel that feeds the lot, and the city. A photo of the control cabinet helps. Say if chargers, signs or security cameras share the lot’s circuits.