Outdoor Lighting Installation in Cochise County

Choosing Fixtures for How You Use the Property

We begin by walking the property with you and discussing how you use its outdoor spaces. This helps us identify the routes, gathering areas, and visual features that should guide the design. We then recommend a fixture mix suited to the site.

Common fixture types include:

• Path Lights: Define walking routes and changes in elevation after dark.
• Downlights: Direct illumination from an elevated mounting point toward a targeted surface or activity area.
• Accent Fixtures: Draw attention to selected landscape elements or architectural details.

The right mix depends on the property’s layout and intended nighttime use. A walkway may call for controlled path lighting, while a patio may benefit from downlighting above the activity area. Accent lighting can highlight selected landscape or architectural features.

Cochise County Outdoor Lighting Requirements

Requirements depend on whether a property is in an unincorporated area or within an incorporated community. The Cochise County Light Pollution Code governs unincorporated areas, while incorporated communities maintain separate municipal outdoor-lighting codes. We manage permitting when required and align installations with the applicable ordinances to reduce light pollution.

In unincorporated areas, most permanently installed outdoor fixtures must be fully shielded. These fixtures direct light toward the intended surface rather than allowing it to shine upward or outward. The county code also restricts glare and light trespass, which is unwanted illumination extending beyond the property.

County requirements that can affect a design include:

• Lots of at least one acre are generally limited to 20,000 lumens of outdoor lighting per acre.
• Residential lots smaller than one acre are generally limited to 10,000 lumens per residence.
• Low-voltage or solar landscape lights using no more than 10 watts per fixture are exempt from the county’s shielding requirements.
• New mercury vapor outdoor fixtures are prohibited under the county code.

A proposed installation that can’t satisfy applicable height, shielding, curfew, or lumen-cap requirements requires a Special Use Permit under the county code. Because municipal requirements and approval procedures can differ, we confirm the project’s jurisdiction before finalizing the installation plan.