Fresno, CA Holiday Decorations: Holiday Light Rules (2026)

Fresno has no municipal code section setting calendar dates for when holiday lights must be removed, no maximum lumen output, and no required time for shutoff. Property owners may install seasonal lighting year-round. However, three indirect constraints apply: (1) Amplified music synchronized to a light display must comply with FMC Chapter 10, Article 1 noise limits — 50 dBA at residential property lines from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 55 dBA daytime; (2) Outdoor lighting that creates direct glare into a neighboring window or onto a public street may be subject to the City's outdoor lighting standards in FMC Chapter 12 and the Development Code (FMC Ch. 15), which require full-cutoff fixtures for new commercial installations but exempt residential holiday displays; (3) Lights strung across the public right-of-way or on utility poles without authorization violate FMC Chapter 13 (Streets and Sidewalks). HOA-governed neighborhoods may impose stricter dates and standards through CC&Rs, which are enforceable independent of the City. Large public-attracting displays (Christmas Tree Lane in the Old Fig Garden / Van Ness Boulevard area) operate by neighborhood tradition rather than City ordinance.