Cary has no town ordinance restricting when residents may install or must remove holiday lights at single-family homes. The Cary LDO sign provisions do not apply to seasonal decorations. Practical limits arise from HOA covenants - widespread in Cary's deed-restricted communities - and from Cary's noise ordinance (Chapter 22) if amplified music is paired with a light show.
Cary's Land Development Ordinance sign provisions regulate commercial and residential signage but do not treat residential holiday decorations as regulated signs. There is no town-imposed installation date, removal deadline, brightness cap, or shut-off hour for residential holiday lights. Practical limits include: (1) HOA covenants in Cary's many deed-restricted subdivisions (Preston, MacGregor Downs, Lochmere, Amberly, Carpenter Village, Cary Park, etc.), which typically set installation windows ('no earlier than the day after Thanksgiving') and removal deadlines ('within 30 days of the holiday' or 'by January 15'); (2) Cary Code Chapter 22 (Noise) - amplified music synchronized to a light show must comply with the general prohibition on unreasonably loud, disturbing sound, with greater restraint expected during nighttime hours; (3) general nuisance principles if extremely bright lights demonstrably interfere with a neighbor's reasonable use (rare to be cited); (4) traffic-safety considerations where displays cause sight-distance hazards near intersections. North Carolina General Statute 47F-3-121 limits HOA restrictions on certain flag displays but does not address holiday lights. Commercial properties may need a temporary use authorization for elaborate displays that attract crowds.
No town violation for residential holiday lights themselves. Noise violations of Cary Code Chapter 22 carry civil penalties. HOA enforcement is a private civil matter under the recorded declaration, enforceable in Wake County Superior Court.
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