Living in northern California and having lots of citrus outside I have had a fair amount of experience with this. We commonly have freezing temperatures, but it only rarely gets below 28° or so. I have a Bearss lime, Eureka lemon, Meyer lemon and various mandarins and oranges outside unprotected. I virtually never provide any protection to these tress, although the lime and lemons are directly next to my house so they get some protection that way. The lime typically looses many of its leaves over the winter, but it always recovers quickly in the spring. The other citrus have absolutely no problem with these temperatures. I would add that local microclimates in borderline growing regions for citrus are VERY important. Even on a small property there will be significant differences in temperatures depending upon elevation, proximity to the house, and tree cover. I hope this helps.
-Brett