Murfreesboro has no ordinance specifying installation dates, removal deadlines, or brightness limits for residential holiday lights. Amplified outdoor audio must comply with the Murfreesboro Noise Ordinance under City Code Chapter 17. The Zoning Ordinance restricts string lighting in non-residential zones except between November 15 and January 15. Christmas on the Square at the Public Square is the city's signature holiday event. HOAs in The Reserve at Stones River and Blackman commonly impose date limits.
Murfreesboro does not regulate residential holiday lighting installation, removal dates, or brightness through municipal code. Decorative lighting is permitted year-round on private property. The Murfreesboro Noise Ordinance, Murfreesboro City Code Chapter 17, applies to amplified audio in holiday displays — quiet hours apply from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. when noise audible at the property line is presumptively a violation under the 'plainly audible' standard. The Murfreesboro Zoning Ordinance Section 25.2 (Signs) regulates 'string lighting' in non-residential or mixed-use zones, limiting it to the period between November 15 and January 15 — this rule applies to commercial properties, not single-family residential. Murfreesboro does not have a citywide dark-sky ordinance, but neighbors can pursue private nuisance claims for light directed into bedroom windows. Tennessee has no state statute analogous to Texas Property Code § 202.018 protecting religious door displays from HOA enforcement. Properties in HOAs throughout The Reserve at Stones River, Blackman-area subdivisions, Westlawn, Salem, Indian Hills, Three Rivers, and Downtown Murfreesboro condos face covenant authority over holiday displays, generally enforceable in Chancery Court. The historic Murfreesboro Public Square hosts Christmas on the Square annually with city-coordinated lighting. Commercial displays at The Avenue Murfreesboro and Stones River Mall may require sign permits under Chapter 25.2 if they include advertising.
Noise violations under City Code Chapter 17 are misdemeanors with fines up to $50 per offense per day under City Code § 1-8. Light-trespass nuisance complaints can be referred to Murfreesboro Codes Enforcement. Commercial string-lighting outside the November 15 to January 15 window is a Zoning Ordinance violation. HOA violations are pursued civilly.
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