OUTDOOR LIGHT REQUIREMENTS & EXEMPTIONS

New Mexico's SB 34 updates rules to reduce light pollution by requiring most outdoor light fixtures installed after July 1, 2025, to be fully shielded (directing light downward) and limiting fixtures over four feet high emitting more than 1,000 lumens from pointing skyward. It adds exemptions for roadway safety signs on interstates, temporary construction/emergency lights, and film production lighting, while removing previous exemptions for automatic shutoff devices and certain advertising signs. The bill also eliminates a prior exemption for recreational facility lights after 11:00 p.m. (except for specific events) and repeals outdated provisions. These changes directly affect businesses, property owners, construction sites, and municipalities managing outdoor lighting. The law aims to protect night skies by standardizing shielding requirements across the state.