Ann Arbor has no citywide ordinance restricting the time of year, brightness, or duration of residential holiday lights. Constraints arise from Local Historic District guidelines for permanently mounted fixtures (City Code Chapter 103), private HOA covenants, and the City property maintenance code if a display becomes blight or a hazard.
Ann Arbor does not regulate the dates or duration of seasonal holiday lighting on residential property by ordinance. The City Property Maintenance Code (administered by the Building Department) can be invoked only if a display has become unsafe (exposed wiring, broken bulbs, fallen fixtures) or has deteriorated into a blight condition over time. Electrical safety is governed by the Michigan Electrical Code adopted under PA 230 of 1972 (MCL 125.1501): outdoor circuits and extension cords must be GFCI-protected and listed for outdoor use under NEC Article 210.8. In a Local Historic District designated under City Code Chapter 103 (Old West Side, Old Fourth Ward, Division Street, Broadway, Cobblestone Farm, Main Street, and others), permanently mounted lighting fixtures or any work that modifies the exterior of a contributing structure requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission; temporary seasonal lighting that does not modify the structure does not require HDC review. Many subdivisions (e.g., Burns Park, Glacier Highlands) have no HOAs, but newer condo developments and some west-side subdivisions impose private rules enforceable only by the association. Ann Arbor's residential dark-sky and outdoor-lighting provisions in the UDC focus on permanent installations, not seasonal lights.
City enforcement is rare. Code Enforcement may issue municipal civil infraction citations for displays in disrepair or for cords creating shock or trip hazards. HDC may require restoration if a permanent fixture was installed without a Certificate of Appropriateness in a Local Historic District.
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